Far From Ordinary
by mcdreamer100
Summary: Takes place after Wishin and Hopin. Mer is pulling away from Derek. Will he be able to save her from herself or will something happen that tests everyones faith and proves Mer is Far From Ordinary MerDer
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nope don't own Grey's... still.**

**A/N: This is going to be kind of a quickie story (10 chapters give or take). I can't get this out of my head so I went ahead and started it. It takes place after the episode Wishin and Hopin (Meredith's lucid mom) and kind of starts like Walk on Water but then it strays from there. It's a completely different angle then what Grey's is taking on the "depressed" Meredith deal. You'll probably have to wait a few chapters to understand _that_ though. I LOVE Grey's (Even though they put our Meredith in the water and she has to stay there for a whole week before we know what's going to happen!) But this will hopefully keep us entertained untill we know Meredith's fate.**

**And don't worry. The sequel to "Out of the Darkness" is still coming. I'll probably be posting the first chapter to that (still untitled!) sometime this week. I'll just be busy doing two stories for a while, but like I said, this one isn't very long. Okay enough. I'll start. Please review so I know if I should even bother with this or not.**

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Is it enough? Is it enough?

Is it enough to love?

Is it enough to breath?

Somebody rip my heart out

And leave me here to bleed

Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please!

Is it enough?

Is it enough to die?

Somebody save my life

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please!

I'd rather be anything but ordinary please!

**(Anything But Ordinary by Avril Lavigne)**

The cold of the hard, white porcelain tub pressed against Meredith's bare back, a stark contrast to the scalding liquid of the bath water that protected the rest of her body. She became mesmerized by the misty steam that slowly rose from the water and mingled in the cool bathroom air, disappearing as fast as it had appeared. Meredith lowered her body further into the tub. Her skin was red from the heat of the water, and beads of sweat appeared on her brow, but she paid no attention. Her mother's harsh, mocking voice rang in her head and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the cruel, painful words out. Meredith didn't stop when the steaming water hit her chin. She gradually lowered herself down, letting the water pass over her mouth and nose, then her eyes. She felt some of her tension escape as the liquid swallowed her completely. She stayed in her quiet, peaceful serenity, letting the world outside the water disappear. But even in her tranquility, her mother's voice broke through, shattering the calmness that she desperately sought.

"_What happened to you? You've gone soft! Stammering about a boyfriend, and saying that you're waiting to be inspired. You're waiting for inspiration? Are you kidding me?! I have a disease for which there is no cure; I think that would be inspiration enough! Listen to me, Meredith. Anyone can fall in love and be blindly happy! But not everyone can pick up a scalpel and save a life. I raised you to be an extraordinary human being, so imagine my disappointment when I wake up after 5 years and discover that you are no more than ordinary! What happened to you?!"_

Tears seeped out of Meredith's closed eyes and instantly became part of the bath water. She slowly shook her head under the water, willing the rest of what she knew was coming, to stop. She didn't recognize her own voice in her head. The pained, trembling words that she had spat at her sick mother.

"_You wanna know why I'm so unfocused? So ordinary? You wanna know what happened to me? You! You happened to me." _

All the anguish she was trying to forget washed over her in waves of grief and regret. The burning water suddenly turned cold and ran chills up and down her naked body.

"_The reason that I want you to have the surgery is because I have this hope, that in a year, two years or five, they're gonna have a breakthrough. They're gonna find a cure for Alzheimer's, and you and I will have another chance. To get to know each other. You'll get a chance to know me, to see that I am not even_ remotely ordinary_, so I wish you would have the surgery. But it's up to you Mom, it's your life."_

And as quickly as the _so called_ gift had come, it was gone. Her mother's lucidness vanishing into the dark confusion Meredith had forlornly became accustomed to.

Meredith wanted to cry and shake and scream, but found she was out of tears and knew in order to scream she would have to resurface and leave her private solitude. No. She wouldn't resurface. Maybe never. Maybe if she stayed down, under the clear safe liquid, she could forget the pain. Maybe if she stayed down long enough, she could hide from the world, hide from her mother's words.

But mostly, she thought, if she stayed under long enough, maybe she could hide from the scariest of it all: The feeling that her mom was right. She wasn't anything special, she _was_ ordinary.

A muffled voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she tried to focus on where it was coming from. Before she was able to completely come to her senses, two strong hands grabbed her arms and jerked her up. She gasped for breath and rapidly blinked her eyes as the frigid bathroom air spread across her bare torso.

"Meredith! What are you doing?"

Derek's concerned face slowly came into focus as he stared down at her with worried blue eyes.

Meredith chose to ignore his question, knowing that any explanation would only bring further inquiry. She had chosen not to share with Derek the details of her and her mother's conversation, and had told him she was fine when he repeatedly questioned her the night before. After leaving her mother's room she had headed straight for Joe's and had tried in vain to drown her pain in tequila, something that usually worked. But last night it hadn't. Fifteen shots later, her agony was still present. The only difference was now her head was buzzing.

When Derek had walked in a while later, she found new anger and resentment surfacing. He had unexplainably snapped at her again, in a moment when she had really needed him. He had told her he'd been looking everywhere for her and had been worried sick.

Catching on quickly that she was ignoring him, and that she was apparently very angry, Derek had then tried to apologize profusely.

She couldn't remember all of his excuses. In her drunken haze she had tuned out most of what he said, only catching that he had been stressed with the toxic patient and hadn't wanted her to be in danger. She hadn't bought it of course. She knew her mom had gotten to him. Even though Derek had promised he wouldn't let her, Ellis Grey had a way of getting to _everybody_.

Meredith couldn't remember how she had gotten home after that. Derek probably had to carry her to his car and then upstairs to her bed. The next thing she remembered was opening her eyes and him leaning over her with Aspirin and water. And then of course he had wanted to talk. He wanted her to tell him what was wrong. What had her mother said?

But Meredith pushed him away. She had become a little scared. A little worried that if he heard her mother had called her _ordinary_, he might realize that her mother was right. He might begin to think that he wanted to be with someone who was _far from ordinary,_ and then he'd leave her. And Meredith really couldn't take that.

So she pushed him further away in an attempt that he'd never discover her ugly truth.

"Meredith talk to me. What's going on?" Derek pleaded as he watched her rise from the water and grab a clean red towel that sat on a shelf to the side of the tub. She wrapped it around her dripping body and stepped out, walking carefully across the tile floor so she wouldn't slip.

"I was taking a bath." She hoped he would accept it as her answer but knew better.

"That's not a bath. I know what a bath looks like." He kept his eyes on her as she crossed the room to her dresser and pulled out her black bra and panties.

"Drop it." She carefully kept the towel wrapped around her body as she stepped into her lacey underwear and pulled them up, the black silk disappearing under the towel.

"Look, your mother…" Derek tried again.

"Drop it!" She gave him a dirty look and turned her back to him. She let the towel fall to the floor and skillfully snapped her bra and adjusted it into place.

Derek sighed frustrated. Meredith didn't usually act like this. Something must have happened yesterday that she wasn't telling him and it was tearing him up inside. He crossed the room and softly touched her, turning her around to face him.

"_Look,_ your mother was lucid yesterday and I know something must have happened. Just tell me what's wrong." He kept his hands on her shoulders and tried to get her to open up.

"I'm _fine_, my mother is _fine_. She was lucid and now she's not. Everything is _fine_." Meredith stared at the ceiling, the wall, and then a picture of her old dog Doc that sat on her dresser. She did her best to look anywhere but at Derek.

"You don't seem fine Mer. Maybe I can talk to the Chief for you. He'll understand, and give you the day off…"

"No! I don't need the day off. Just stop! I do not need rescuing."

"You would have drowned in the bathtub had I not been there." Derek helpfully pointed out.

Meredith rolled her eyes, "I'm a surgeon, I do the rescuing. You are not my knight in shining…whatever."

Derek tilted his head and looked at her amused. "So we're going to fight because I pulled you out of the tub?"

"You have a place. You could sleep at it. And then you wouldn't have to pull me out of the bathtub. You're everywhere all the time, saying things."

Derek gently tilted Meredith's face so she was finally looking at him. "This is the happy ever after part. And in the happily ever after, the guy is there… all the time… saying things, and the girls _love_ it!"

Meredith couldn't help hide her smile. Why was he being so kind? How could he love such an ordinary girl like herself? "Go to work and let me get dressed. I'll see you there."

Meredith reached on her tip toes and gave him a quick kiss on his mouth.

Derek felt a little relief that she was softening back up to him. "And just for the record. I _am_ your knight in shining whatever."

He chuckled and leaned down and kissed her hard, pulling her body that was barely covered in black underwear against his fully clothed one. He reluctantly released her and, without a word, turned and left, leaving Meredith alone with her conflicted thoughts.

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**A/N: So that was very similar to wishin and hopin, only a few changes, but it sets up the rest of the story, which will be different. But good different. I promise. Review and let me know what you think. Chapter 2 to come TONIGHT. But it doesn't get real good until chapter 3 or 4!**


	2. Chapter 2

Meredith's morning had been slow. The Nazi seemed to be on yet another war path and after doing rounds with her fellow interns, Bailey had ordered Meredith to the pit. Usually, on her normal days, she would have been annoyed. Working in the pit meant that you missed out on amazing surgeries going on upstairs. But today, Meredith felt fine being left alone with her thoughts. She robotically sewed up one gaping wound after the next. It didn't require brain power any more. She could stitch someone up in her sleep.

Meredith was so involved with her own world, cleaning up the bloody gauze and used needles from her last patient, that she didn't even hear Derek come up behind her.

"Hey!" He grinned obnoxiously at her. He loved the look on her face when she was concentrating hard on something and didn't know anyone was watching. It took his breath away at how beautiful this woman he loved was.

She looked up and her cheeks reddened a little, wondering how long he had been watching her. "Hey." She echoed.

Derek looked around them quickly, and then satisfied that no one was looking, he took a step closer, pressing his body against her back. He slid his arms around her waist and nuzzled his face in her neck. "So we're okay?"

Meredith could only nod; it took every ounce of will power to not moan out loud as Derek started nibbling her skin; softly and expertly making his way up to her ear.

"Dr. Shepherd. This is inappropriate. Have you ever thought about that?" Meredith giggled and leaned back against his strong body.

Derek breathed huskily in her ear causing Meredith to tremble slightly against him. "Meet me for lunch in an hour?" His tone was purely seductive, suggesting that _lunch_ was the last thing on his mind.

"We'll see Dr. Shepherd. If you're good." Meredith quickly pulled away; she turned and winked as she hurried out of the room, leaving Derek a little more than speechless.

Meredith was now smiling as she stood at the nurses station in the pit, filling out charts. She was feeling a lot better than she had earlier that morning in the tub. Maybe she had been over reacting. Maybe things were going to be okay. Derek made her happier than she could ever remember feeling and maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't see her as ordinary, and he would love her no matter what.

The blaring of her pager jerked her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen and immediately hurried off to trauma room two. As she turned the corner and rushed in the room she quickly appraised the scene. A woman who looked to be in her sixties was having a seizure while nurses frantically worked around her. Meredith's eyes locked with the woman's and Meredith froze. She didn't know the woman, but the cold judgment in her eyes was all too familiar and a voice began to ring in her head once again.

"_You are no more than ordinary!"_

"Doctor? How do you want us to proceed? … Doctor?!"

"_What happened to you?"_

"Dr. Grey, her heart rate is plummeting! You need to do something! Dr. Grey!"

"_You are no more than ordinary… You are no more than ordinary…"_

Her mother's voice echoed in her mind and Meredith started to feel sick.

"What's going on?!" Meredith barely recognized Derek's voice as he came running in the room. He hurried to the patient's side and started ordering the nurses around. He then turned to Meredith. "Dr. Grey! I need you to push 3cc's eppie while I try to stable her blood pressure."

Meredith stood there, unable to move.

"Dr. Grey! … Meredith?! … Move, now!" Derek's voice was harsh, not really out of anger towards Meredith but out of duty to save this patient's life.

The look on Derek's face made Meredith light headed. There was no denying now. He would see her as this ordinary girl, who froze in a trauma room. The walls started closing in as the cold harsh reality that she was a disappointment set in. She had been a disappointment to her mom, and now she was being a disappointment to Derek.

"Meredith!" Derek tried once more before rushing past her to grab the eppie himself. He proficiently administered the medicine and everyone in the room let out a sigh of relief as the patients heart rate steadied and she stopped seizing.

"Good work Dr. Shepherd." One of the nurses said before continuing on with her duties.

Meredith's eyes were wide as she met Derek's unreadable stare. Was he mad? Did he understand?

He was probably just disappointed.

The crushing of her last thought caused Meredith to turn and run out of the room. She heard Derek calling after her but she didn't stop. She ran as hard as she could until she knew she was alone. She looked up and down the deserted basement hallway to be sure no one had followed before she emptied the contents of her stomach into the nearest waist basket.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and slowly sat down against the hard cold wall. She pulled her knees into her chest and stared blankly ahead. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to be such a disappointment?

Why did she have to be so ordinary?

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**A/N: I know this is all just blah blah blah, drepressing Meredith. I don't like depressing Meredith either, so stay tuned. Something big is going to happen and turn things upside down. Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this is how much I love you guys. I have the stomach flu right now and wasn't even able to get out of bed earlier, but as soon as I could, I knew I needed to update this. Cause it's just getting good! Thanks for the great reviews!**

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Derek scrubbed his hands as fast as he could. He had just finished a successful four hour surgery removing a tumor from the cerebellum of his patient, and needed to hurry and get ready for tonight. He was extremely worried about Meredith. He had never seen her freeze the way she had in the trauma room the other day. She'd stood him up for their lunch date and had been avoiding him since then. Derek was starting to panic. They hadn't had a real conversation in a week. 

The last three nights she had already been in bed when he arrived home after work, and would claim extreme fatigue when he'd try to get her to talk to him. She was slowly pulling away from him and he felt so helpless. He loved her more than he had ever loved another human being and it was killing him that she wouldn't let him in.

But Derek had a plan. He had conspired with Izzie and a reluctant Cristina. Since Meredith wouldn't talk to him, he had her closest friends ask her to go out with them tonight. Izzie was more than happy to oblige, clearly seeing herself that something was very wrong with Meredith. Cristina on the other hand, was a little more difficult, but fifty dollars and 3 promised surgeries later, she had given in. The plan was that Cristina would be by to pick up Meredith at seven, but it would be Derek who showed up instead. He knew Meredith wouldn't refuse then. She couldn't. But if she did, Izzie would be there to help him persuade her.

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Derek realized he was extremely nervous as he pulled his car up to the large house. He had been on countless dates with Meredith, but things were different now. He felt like the further and further Meredith pulled away, the less chance he had of being able to help her. Things were getting bad and he knew tonight would be one of his last chances to try to get through to her. 

He paused a moment, before pushing the door bell, to collect himself. He smoothed the wrinkles on his blue button up shirt and ran a hand through his hair before finally pushing in the button. He took in a breath and tried to brace himself for whatever was to come, as he heard the chime echo through the house.

Seconds later, he heard Meredith's voice as she hurried to the door. "Really Izzie! I don't know why you couldn't just let Cristina in yourself, you're right here."

Meredith threw the door open and took a step back in shock when her eyes met Derek's. "Wh… what are you doing?"

Derek let his eyes sweep up and down his girlfriend's body. He couldn't hide the approving smile that spread across his face as he noticed her tight fitting jeans and snug black sweater that hugged her curves perfectly. Her hair was curled, but fell carelessly around her shoulders. He could stand there and stare at her all night.

Derek quickly shook his head. He didn't need those thoughts to cloud his mind right now. It was more important that he was able to reach Meredith on a different level.

"You look beautiful." He stepped into the foyer of the house and quickly kissed Meredith on her cheek. Meredith didn't say anything. She just stared back with large frightened eyes. It bothered Derek that she looked scared, so he continued lightly. "I'm here to take you out."

Meredith finally found her voice and stuttered apologetically, "I'm... sorry Derek. I... um... told Cristina and Izzie, I'd go out with them. You know... girls night."

Meredith smiled but Derek noticed she was wringing her hands nervously.

Derek suddenly felt guilty. Maybe his plan wasn't as brilliant as he had previously thought. "Well… um… actually, it's a set up. I couldn't get you to talk to me …and I missed you. So…I had them help me so I could take you out tonight. Please don't be mad Mer. It's just dinner. Big chunks of bread in baskets, expensive wine. I promise to drop you off when we're done and I'll disappear to my trailer. Just give me a few hours…. Please."

Meredith shifted nervously from foot to foot. She glanced at Izzie with raised eyebrows and her blond friend could only nod her head that it was true.

"Sorry Mer. Cristina has to work tonight and George is coming over to watch movie's since Callie had to work as well. Don't be mad at us. Derek means well. He just wants to take you to dinner." Izzie smiled encouragingly at Meredith and Derek couldn't have been more grateful. He made a mental note to make sure and thank Izzie later.

A few seconds of awkward quietness floated throughout the old Grey home. Derek held his breath, desperately thinking of what he possibly could say next to convince her. Maybe he should get on his knees? He wondered if groveling would work in a situation like this.

"Sure. Okay. Um.. let me just go grab my coat." She smiled at Derek, and although the smile was genuine, he still saw something different in her eyes. Something scared and dejected.

Minutes later they sat in Derek's car, quietly making the short drive to Meredith's favorite restaurant, one they hadn't been back to since before Addison had come to town. The restaurant was located just off of the interstate with an amazing view. It was a small intimate place that consisted of one wall that was completely glass, and it only held about fifteen tables inside. He had done some major negotiating to get a table tonight, promising a heavy tip and gently reminding the Maitre D of the life saving surgery he performed on his second cousin last summer.

Derek looked over at Meredith who sat tensely staring out the passenger window, her hands tightly clasped on her lap. Derek sighed. He wished he could read her mind. What was it that was bothering her? What was making her uneasy sitting next to the man she supposedly loved?

Derek reached over and grabbed one of her hands, forcing her to release the tight grip she had on herself. "It's okay Mer. It's just me. I wish you could understand how much I love you and how hard it is for me to see you like this. Whatever it is just tell me. I promise to understand. What is it? Your mother? Something at work?" He turned his eyes back to the road and added quietly, "Me?"

Meredith's snapped her head around to look at Derek and tears filled her eyes. "No! Oh Derek, I am so sorry. Please don't think it's you or anything that you've done. You've been so great… and you're amazing." Tears fell quietly down her cheek and she turned away from him once again to stare out her window into the cold wet night. "It's not you." She continued softly, so quiet that Derek had to strain to hear. "It's_ me_. It's just…I'm so … and my mom said…. And I'm sure you think…" Her voice trailed off and she continued to stare out the window.

"Mer, what are you talking about? What did your mom say? What are you so sure that I think?" Derek furrowed his brows and racked his mind. Did he miss something? What was she talking about?

He watched, tightly holding her small hand in his, as she took a deep breath and turned back to face him. "I'm ordinary. There's nothing special about me. I haven't picked a specialty yet. There's no area that I stand out in. I even freeze in the trauma room. My whole life I just barely got by. I didn't get good grades in school. I didn't really care. Hell, I probably _did_ get into this internship program because of my mother!" Meredith's voice shook now as she spoke. "For once in my life, I'd like to be anything but ordinary. As far from ordinary as possible. To know that I have what it takes. But the scary truth is, I _don't_ have what it takes. My mother was back for only one day and she noticed it immediately. It's just a matter of time that Dr. Bailey or the Chief notices and I'll be out of the program. And …." Meredith was sobbing now, her tiny shoulders shaking. "… and then you'll realize it and you'll leave."

Derek had turned into a parking space outside the restaurant and put his car in park. He leaned over to Meredith, doing his best to hold her, ignoring the car's middle console. He let her cry into his chest as he rubbed her back soothingly. He waited a moment for her to calm down a little and then pulled away so he could look down in her glistening, puffy eyes.

"How could you think that Mer? I will _never_ leave you. You're beautiful and incredibly talented. Who cares if you're ordinary? I love you, and all you're friends love you. Don't let what your mom said get to you… _please_ Mer."

Meredith nodded and wiped at her tears. Derek really didn't get it and she didn't blame him. She immediately felt foolish for airing her fears and put on her best smile and reached for the car door handle.

"You're right Derek. I'm sorry I lost it like that." She pushed the door open and turned back to him, "What are you waiting for? I'm starved."

Derek laughed and hopped out his side of the car. Meredith could sure fool a lot of people by her small size. He had never seen another woman put away as much food as his girlfriend. But he was still worried. Meredith couldn't fool him, and he realized immediately that she was still upset. He was just going to have to do his best to make sure she had an amazing night, to get her mind off of her troubles. If only for a few hours.

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Derek and Meredith had finished their delicious dinner of prime rib and lobster tail with steamed vegetables. Derek sat back relieved, as he watched Meredith pick at the remaining of her chocolate cake. She had seemed to be able to relax and enjoy the evening, even laughing at his jokes and chatting casually with him about patients and their mutual friends. Meredith tilted her head back and finished the last few drops of fancy wine Derek had splurged for. She was honestly having a nice night and was glad Derek had plotted to take her out. 

Derek smiled at his beautiful girlfriend as she leaned back in the velvet chair, rubbing her overly full stomach. He watched her as she stared past him, out the large wall of glass, her mind drifting. He motioned to the waiter for the check and decided he'd press his luck. Maybe he could convince Meredith to come back to his trailer with him. They hadn't had sex for a little over week now, and it was starting to drive him crazy. He might not have been able to connect with Meredith mentally that night, but connecting with her physically, had never been a problem.

Derek opened his mouth to suggest they get going when he noticed a sudden change of expression in her face. Her features went from satisfied happiness, to a look of complete horror and fear.

"Oh my Gosh Derek." Her voice was an urgent whisper.

"Meredith, what on earth…" Derek turned towards the direction of Meredith's eyes. He immediately froze when he saw what it was that Meredith was staring at.

A semi with a large silver glistening fuel tank had lost control on the interstate. The truck grew larger and larger as it headed straight for the tiny restaurant. Everything moved in slow motion as the two bright headlines closed in, blinding the terrified patrons of the restaurant. Sparks flew from the back tires and smoke rose from the burning rubber as the brakes desperately tried to prevent the inevitable disaster. The semi fishtailed and started to shake. It swallowed two parked cars as it gained momentum. The back end swung to the left, causing the truck to tip. The shrieking of medal on asphalt drowned out the shrieking of the plump, gray haired lady at the table next them.

No one moved. Everyone sat wide eyed and panicked, bracing themselves for their undeniable doom. As the tank inched closer and closer, it was a strong, determined voice that broke through everyone's terrified thoughts.

"Everyone move to the back! NOW!"

**To be continued!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I tried SO hard to get this up last night but the sight was having too many difficulties. So here it is. And lucky for you guys instead of having this as a two parter, you get it in one peice. So it's kind of long. I should also say ahead of time that most(if not all) of the medical jargon is made up. I'm sure you don't care but if you do I'm sorry, I did my best to make it sound believable. **

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"**Everyone move now! To the back!" **The voice cut through the thick fear that had spread throughout the restaurant. 

Derek blinked a few times, stunned at his girlfriend's urgent demand, before moving into action. He followed Meredith's lead as she started pushing people to the back of the room, where there wasn't as much glass and their chance of survival was the greatest.

Men were yelling, women were screaming; Meredith even heard a desperate Catholic prayer being offered in Italian by one of the restaurant's waiters. The ferocious grinding on the other side of the glass grew closer, causing Meredith's ears to ring. Just as it nearly drowned out every other sound in the room, Meredith heard an urgent plea.

"My baby! Where's Amanda? Has anyone seen my daughter?!"

Meredith whipped her head around. It wasn't common for children to dine at this restaurant, but she remembered passing a little girl on her way to the table earlier that night. Meredith searched the room with her eyes until they fell upon a small form, immobilized by fear at the window.

Meredith didn't think twice as she sprinted towards the girl. The young girl's brown eyes were large with fright as Meredith swept the small body up in her arms. The room shook and wine bottles shattered as they fell from shelves high on the wall. Meredith knew this was it as the deafening noise reached its peak. She raced as fast as her legs would carry her to the opposite side of the room, and dove under a table, shielding the little girl with her body.

Meredith felt like she was displaced from her own body and she was watching this happen to someone else. The metal semi hit the building with a sickening crack. Glass and brick floated in the air, landing like sharp destructive raindrops. Everything was dark; the air polluted by dust and debris. An appalling, eerie quiet settled through the area; a stark contrast to the thunderous noise that had consumed them before.

Meredith slowly pulled up to her hands and knees. _She was alive._ That in itself was a miracle. She looked down at her hands and noticed dark blood mixed with dirt and dust. But she was okay. She was going to be fine. Meredith immediately turned the small girl she had protected from the collision around, and searched her face. The girl blinked up at Meredith with her large brown eyes. Meredith quickly searched the small body and couldn't believe she didn't have a scratch on her. Even her two long blond pigtails were untouched.

"Are you okay?" Meredith asked the frightened girl softly.

The young child didn't speak. She just stared up at the stranger who had saved her, unable to make any noise.

"It's okay honey. I know you're scared. We're going to find your mommy."

With that Meredith stood slowly, and for the first time saw the full extent of the disaster. Her eyes stung from the dust but she blinked them rapidly, trying to wrap her mind around everything before her. Glass, brick, broken tables, and shattered chairs were littered everywhere. Only part of the semi had been able to push its way into the building, the rest being stopped by the inner steel of the building structure. The groaning of the unsteady foundation mixed with cry's of pain and wails for help. People were slowly starting to get up, pulling large shards of glass and splintered two by fours off of their bodies.

Meredith's knees started to go weak. She wasn't sure what she should do. Where she should start. She was starting to feel overwhelmed when a distinct aroma hit her nostrils. She whipped her head back in the direction of the large fuel tank the semi had been transporting and saw a puncture in the steel. The clear brown liquid was slowly leaking out. The gasoline fumes disturbingly seeped around the wreckage and whispered of its inevitable doom.

Without any further hesitation, Meredith knew she had to do something. She knew she had to get every body out.

More people were starting to get up and were walking around in shocked confusion. Meredith yelled to a couple of men who were standing still, frozen in alarm.

"We need to get everybody out! The tanks leaking fuel and if it hits with the fire line from the kitchen, the whole place is going to blow!"

The men stared back at her with blank expressions. Meredith knew they were in a state of shock, but she needed everyone's help.

"I said get everyone you can out, _NOW_!" Meredith didn't even recognize the power and surety in her own voice, but didn't have to yell again. Her bark had jarred the men into action and they obediently began to help the injured up and over to a large whole in one of the broken windows.

Meredith grabbed the small girls hand protectively and kept her safely by her side as she carefully stepped over debris to the window. She started grabbing table cloths and drapes that had been knocked off the wall and spreading them over the sharp broken glass and jagged pieces of brick and wood. She motioned for the others to do the same and in no time they had a secure exit route to get everyone out safely.

"I'm sure help will be here any minute but we might not have that long. You…" Meredith pointed to an older man, "…stay by this hole and help people climb out. It looks like this is the only way out." "You two," Meredith now pointed to two stronger looking men, "… you help start finding people and direct them to this exit, if they can't walk, carry them!" Meredith quickly took a breath before turning to a few more people who had found their way to the front. "I need you guys to make sure the people that do get out, get _far_ away from the building. Take them to the grassy area next to the interstate." Meredith pointed out the hole in the wall to a small grass clearing clear on the other side of the parking lot. "When the ambulances arrive they can help the injured there." Meredith wiped away some blood that had started to trickle down her face from a small gash on her forehead. "We need to move fast. We don't have much time!"

At Meredith's last command, everyone moved into action, following her orders precisely. She handed the small blond haired girl over to an uninjured woman who was heading out the exit and gave the frightened child a reasuring smile. Meredith watched them dissapear to safety, then turned and followed the large men to the back and started helping people out from under piles of debris. Her eyes kept searching for Derek, wondering where he had gone. She'd assumed he had been helping people but the more time passed, the more worried she became. She assessed the injured as she passed, giving orders as she went. Her stomach lurched when she turned over a table and saw the still body of a young woman, staring straight at her with lifeless eyes. Meredith tried to find a pulse but knew it was useless, so she moved on to the next.

Meredith moved across the injured quickly and efficiently. She fashioned splints out of chair legs and cloth napkins. She wrapped a gaping wound with an apron left behind from one of the chefs. She was even able to construct a neck brace out of some cloth and plastic she found in a pile of rubble.

Sirens blared in the background and Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. Her eyes quickly searched the debris, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach starting to make her sick.

"There's no one in the kitchen Mam. We should really start thinking about getting out ourselves." Meredith nodded silently. Where was Derek? Had he already gotten out and was now helping the injured outside?

"Are you sure you haven't seen a man with dark wavy hair?" Meredith started moving chairs again, sure they'd missed something.

"No Mam, but like I told you before, you're friend is probably already out there. We really need to go." The large man's eyes were darting around the room in fear, but out of loyalty to the woman who had saved so many lives, including his own, he wasn't going to leave her.

Meredith nodded again. She stood slowly and carefully picked out a few pieces of glass that had pierced her knees through her jeans. And then they both heard it. A soft moan coming from their right. Meredith's heart stopped and she knew, in that instant, she just _knew_ what she was going to find.

She followed the sound to a large pile of wreckage. The large man quickly came up beside her and started helping her move the debris.

Under the crumbled bricks and pieces of glass and shattered table laid the man that she loved. Derek laid motionless, face covered in dust, a small gash on his cheek. Meredith urgently checked for a pulse, her fingers shaking in terror. She held her breath as she tried to silence her own pounding in her chest. It took her a moment, but she found it. It was weak, but it was still there.

"Is he… Is he?... um" The large man crouched over her, a terrified expression on his face, knowing this was the man she had been searching for.

"No, he's not dead. But he isn't good. We need to get him out of here." Meredith's voice shook and for the first time since the catastrophe, she showed emotion.

The man nodded and motioned for her to grab the other side of the large metal beam that pinned Derek's legs to the floor.

They both heaved and pulled, and pushed and shoved. But it was no use. It didn't budge. Fear started to creep into Meredith's soul and she stubbornly pushed it away. She was not going anywhere without Derek.

"The fire trucks should be here by now. Go tell them we need them in here! Tell them we have a man stuck under a beam! Hurry!" Meredith turned back to Derek and cradled his head in her lap.

The large man opened his mouth to argue, but immediately shut it knowing he couldn't make this assertive woman do anything she didn't want to.

He quickly disappeared and Meredith finally let the tears that had built up spill free. "Derek? Derek?! Can you hear me? Derek, don't you dare do this to me! Don't you dare leave me! Please, Derek. Can you hear me? Open your eyes _right now_!"

Derek shifted a little and finally, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes. His face cringed with pain as his eyes searched for Meredith. She gently put her hands on his face and turned it so he was looking straight at her. A new set of tears formed when her eyes locked with his shining blue ones.

"You are so bossy." He tried to laugh, but it quickly turned into a painful cough and he had to turn away from Meredith's gaze.

"Where does it hurt?" She asked softly, trying to hide the fear that was swallowing her.

"My leg…" Derek barely whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tightly in pain.

Meredith gently set his head back on the ground and crawled down by his legs. She moved some more debris out of the way and noticed a large pool of dark blood, growing under his right leg.

She tore his dress pants a little more to get a better look, and bit her lip to keep herself from gasping. Derek was in worse shape than she had previously thought.

"Is it… Is it bad?" Derek choked out.

"It's fine Derek. Everything's going to be fine." Meredith didn't let him see her face so he wouldn't know she was lying.

"Mer…I love you."

Meredith turned quickly back to Derek's face. "Don't you start that Derek Shepherd! Don't you dare. You are going to be just fine. I'll figure something out. I can do this." She said the last part more to herself than to Derek, knowing she _had_ to figure something out if she was going to save him.

Before Meredith was able to do anything else she heard yells and shouts coming from outside the restaurant.

"You can't go back in there! It's an unsecured area! Stop! Now!"

"Like hell we can't! You try and stop us!"

"Hey!..."

Meredith looked up, confused at the commotion, and saw four large men hurrying in through the hole in the wall.

Meredith recognized her large friend immediately, and noticed that he was accompanied by three other men who had been in the restaurant earlier.

"Wh.. What's going on? Where are the firemen? Where's search and rescue?" Meredith searched the men's faces desperately trying to figure out what was going on.

"I'm sorry Mam. They won't come in until the area's been secure. They said the tank can explode any second and they don't want to put their men in unnecessary danger."

Meredith's jaw dropped. Won't come in until the area's secure? Put their men in unnecessary danger? She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Meredith looked back down at Derek. "I'm not leaving him."

"I thought as much Mam. I told these guys you were still in here… and that you're friend was stuck... and they all wanted to help. They came voluntarily."

"Yes mam," another man spoke. "You saved my little girls life. And for that, I owe you _my_ life." He cleared his throat, putting his emotions in check, and turned back to the other three men. "Let's do this!"

Meredith stumbled back quietly, not believing what was happening. All four men grabbed the cold hard metal beam and, red faced, moved the crushing weight off of Derek and out of the way.

Meredith quickly recovered from her shock and jumped back into action. She kneeled down next to Derek's right leg and tried to put pressure on the blood that was now squirting in rhythm with his weak heart beat.

"We can't move him until I can get this bleeding controlled." Meredith explained. She quickly looked around for a piece of cloth, needing another napkin or perhaps a scrap of table linen. Not finding either, and knowing she needed to act fast, she quickly and easily ripped her own sleeve off her black sweater. She expertly wrapped it around Derek's thigh, just above the horrific wound, and tied it tightly, effectively stopping the flow of blood.

A small blast from the kitchen caused everyone to jump and they looked up in fear as they realized a fire had erupted from one of the stoves, and now they only had seconds to get out before the flames met with the gasoline, causing an inevitable eruption. Meredith squeezed one of Derek's hands, and told her now unconscious boyfriend, everything was going to be all right.

She quickly moved out of the way and the four men carefully picked up the limp man and hurried for the exit. Meredith climbed through the hole first as the fire made its way out of the kitchen and quickly fed off the shattered wood and fabric drapes and table cloths. Meredith ignored the scorching flames as she turned to help the men as they carefully lifted Derek out the opening and into the damp night. They all knew they weren't safe yet, and moved as fast as they could without hurting the injured man any more.

They hurried across the wet pavement, closing the space to the waiting paramedics and fire trucks, and increasing their distance from the imminent explosion. Two young paramedics met them half way with a waiting stretcher and the four men gingerly laid Derek on the bed. The paramedics went to work immediately, one placing an oxygen mask on Derek's face while the other cut his shirt down the middle, assessing for internal injuries. Meredith began barking out orders once again and only after a moment of hesitation from the young men, they dutifully began obeying her commands. The four men who had helped save Derek's life, followed in silence knowing their work was done.

They reached one of the waiting ambulances and the four men stayed back, watching in anticipation as the paramedics easily loaded the stretcher in the back. Meredith quickly followed, and the doors shut, leaving the four men alone to their quiet prayers that this man, who was a stranger before tonight, would live.

Inside the ambulance, Meredith and the two paramedics worked quickly over Derek, stabilizing his heart rate and leveling his oxygen levels. He had broken ribs, Meredith wasn't sure exactly how many, but one had punctured his left lung and caused it to collapse. Meredith ordered the specific instrument she needed from the paramedics and they reluctantly handed it over from one of their medical kits.

"Um, are you sure you know what you're doing?" The young man asked, his eyes wide with concern.

"Yes I know what I'm doing. I'm a doctor you idiot. Now you both need to shut up so I can focus on what I'm doing." Meredith snapped, she didn't mean to sound so harsh, but they didn't have much time.

Sirens wailed above them as they pulled on to the interstate and sped towards the hospital. Meredith only glanced up for a moment when she heard the devastating explosion and watched as the dark Seattle night glowed an eerie yellow as the flames reached hundreds of feet into the sky. Meredith shook her head and focused back on Derek. That was the only thing that mattered to her. Saving Derek.

She quickly and successfully relieved the pressure from Derek's lung, and when she was certain that it would be fine until they reached the hospital, she turned to his leg. It was bad, real bad, and a sickening uncertainty started to creep inside her head.

"Dude, this is the worst I've ever seen and I've been doing this for five years." One of the paramedics, who annoyingly reminded her of Alex, commented.

"Ya, it is bad. I don't think we're going to be able to save the leg. He'll die if we don't cauterize the arteries now."

Meredith was annoyed with the first paramedic so she chose to speak to the second one who seemed to know a little more about what he was doing. "No! We are not going to amputate his leg. That is not an option." Meredith ran a frazzled hand through her hair, a habit she had picked up from Derek, and desperately thought. "He _will_ die if we don't do something, but I'm just not sure…." And then something popped into her head.

"A reverse atherose- discarticulation." Meredith said it quietly, almost surprised that it had popped into her head.

"You've got to be kidding?" The more knowledgeable paramedic asked in disbelief. "It's only ever been preformed three times, and only once successfully.

Meredith looked up, completely surprised that this young man knew what she was talking about. "And do you know the doctors name that performed the successful one?" Meredith started gathering the required tools she would need to perform the almost impossible, rarely tried procedure.

"Um, ya…actually…. I'm in med school right now; this is only my night job to pay the bills. But we studied about this doctor last semester. Her name was… um, I'm pretty sure… Ellis Grey."

Meredith found everything she needed and laid them out next to Derek's body. She needed to begin immediately; they didn't have time to wait until they reached the hospital.

"What's your name?" She looked up into the nervous face of the medical student.

"James. James Harrington. Um... are you sure you can do this? No offence, but it's just that you seem kinda young, like you couldn't have been a doctor for that long, and it's just that… this is a complicated procedure…" James' voice trailed off. He didn't want to show any disrespect but couldn't help but feel concerned.

"I've watched this procedure a million times on tape. I _know_ I can do this James." She looked down from the young mans face and studied Derek's leg. She picked up the scalpel and took a deep breath before looking back up at the two hushed paramedics. "I guess I didn't introduce myself. My name's Meredith. Dr. Meredith Grey."

She waited while shock registered on the two young men's face as they quickly made the connection. When they recovered she continued, "Now, I'm going to need both of you to do _exactly_ what I say."

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**A/N: I hope that came across dramatic and not humerous. Everytime I reread the part "My name's Meredith, Dr. Meredith Grey" I keep laughing. But I decided to just leave it. I'm also sorry if this seemed totally unbelievable. This is definitely the first time I've tried to write about a "disaster" and it was kind of hard. It seemed like the semi was coming very slow, but that was because I was trying to describe what was happening and what everyone was feeling in that split second, and it might have come off awkward. But I'm learning. ANYWAYS, I'm so sorry to do this to poor Derek on Valentines Day. It just doesn't seem right. Review and you can find out his fate!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: As usual, sorry about the delay of this next chapter. Your reviews were amazing and I feel so guilty when it takes me longer than planned to update. I have a 4 day weekend! Wahoo! So you can expect a few more updates in the next few days. Read and enjoy,and oh ya don't forget to let me know what you think. (Hopefully this will keep our minds off of the fact that right now the "real" Meredith is technically dead. SO sad.)**

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Cristina pressed her opened palms just behind her hip bones and arched her back, relishing the four loud pops that took turns climbing up her sore spine. She unconsciously removed the skinny black rubber band from her dark curls and shook her hair out as her eyes quickly skimmed the OR board.

Her night had been chaotic. Not ten minutes into her shift, the Chief had announced there had been a terrible accident at a popular restaurant near the interstate involving an eighteen wheeler, and ambulances would be delivering the injured to both Seattle Grace and Mercy West. Those on call were told to expect the worse.

The victims were wheeled in one after the other. It had taken every surgeon and doctor on call to handle the steady stream of wounded that had come through the doors. Cristina had noticed a lot of primitive slings, splints, and bandages on the victims and had wondered who had been there with the medical knowledge to so efficiently assess and treat the casualties. Whoever it was had saved a lot of people's lives and had made their job a hell of a lot easier that night.

By the looks of the OR board, things were calming down and the thought of hot coffee crossed Cristina's mind. As she turned for the nearest coffee cart, her pager went off; glancing down at the tiny screen, all thoughts of caffeine were pushed out of her head. The last ambulance was coming in and she was needed down at the ambulance bay.

Cristina began her quick trot, using both hands to gather her messy hair back into a semi tamed pony tail. She reached the bay a few moments later and stood next to an anxiously waiting Chief and Dr. Torres.

Cristina glanced quickly at the two doctors who were her superiors, and noticed the apprehension and worry that traced both their faces.

"What's going on?" Cristina was extremely curious as to what could have ruffled these calm and steady doctors.

It was the Chief who finally turned and acknowledged Cristina. "We have an incoming male in critical condition. His ETA is 2 minutes." The chief cleared his throat and continued, forgetting his professionalism. "Apparently the woman who treated the injured and organized the rescue to get all the survivors out before the building ignited is in the ambulance. The injured man is evidently close to her and…" The Chief shrugged. "…and I'd like to do everything we can for her, seeing as she is the true hero tonight.

Cristina studied his face for a moment before turning and staring straight ahead, not speaking another word, mirroring the other two identically.

They didn't have to wait long. A few moments later the growing sound of sirens echoed off the concrete building, quickly followed by the blue and red swirl of lights, illuminating the dark night.

The ambulance quickly pulled up and the back doors opened with urgency. A young paramedic emerged first, wide eyed.

"What do we have?!" The Chief barked, approaching the emergency vehicle, Callie and Cristina close on his heels.

"She's um… I mean the doctor is….um, in the middle of a reverse atrherose- discarticulation." The young man spoke in disbelief, as if he still couldn't believe what he had witnesses in the ambulance.

"What?!" All three waiting doctors gasped at once.

The driver of the ambulance hurried around to the back and joined the other two paramedics as they carefully began extracting the occupied stretcher.

"Oh my gosh! Meredith?!" It was Cristina who recognized the young doctor first.

Meredith cautiously straddled Derek's body, her back to his face, one knee on each side of his body, careful to not put any weight on the unknown injuries of his abdomen. She didn't look up at the familiar voices. Her face was strained in intense concentration. She continued working skillfully, hunched over his right leg.

The three paramedics successfully removed the stretcher from the back of the ambulance and steadied it on the level pavement. They continued in the direction of the large automatic glass doors that led into the hospital.

The Chief, Cristina, and Callie collectively gasped again in surprise as they recognized Derek's motionless form.

"Grey! What's going on? Get down from there!" The Chief ordered, completely shocked by the scene before him.

"I can't Chief… not yet. He's lost a lot of blood. I'm almost finished… if I can just get this artery to hold the stitch…." Meredith's voice trailed off as her audience was forgotten and her complete concentration was turned back to the life saving surgery.

Richard Webber could only nod. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the fact that one of his interns was performing a rare, insanely difficult surgery on one of his attendings. But she was Meredith Grey, he kept repeating to himself. Even on her first day, when he had recognized the woman who had quickly grown from a child; he had seen that she had what it took, that she was going to be an amazing surgeon, just as her mother had been.

"Clear a trauma bay stat! Let them know we're coming, and call up to the blood bank, he's going to need a transfusion!" The Chief snapped back into his role as doctor in command, and hurried alongside the stretcher in motion.

Cristina quickly recovered from her shock as well, and raced ahead to prepare the room, Callie following close behind.

The three young men found the empty bay promptly, and smoothly parked the stretcher in place. Cristina and Callie gently helped Meredith down, Meredith not once breaking eye contact with the delicate work she was performing.

With Meredith out of the way of the rest of Derek's body the nurses and doctor hurriedly began to hook up monitors and ventilators. IV's were started and blood gas tests performed. The three paramedics stood quietly to the side of the room, watching the efficiency play out before them.

The Chief watched attentively over Meredith's shoulder. He quietly spoke a _mmm hmm_ and a _that's right_ a few times, but for the most part he remained silent. The other nurses and doctors present had finished all they could do for the moment and stood back, anxiously waiting.

Cristina fought the smile that threatened to emerge. This was her person. She vaguely remembered a time when Meredith had been the competition. Now she was her family, and watching her perform this heroic act, Cristina was overcome with unselfish pride for her amazing friend.

Meredith finished the last maneuver of artery and muscle and studied her work. When she was satisfied, she turned to her mentor who stood closely behind her and searched his face with large questioning eyes.

Dr. Webber's face remained expressionless as his eyes quickly scanned Meredith's work. When he looked back at this woman who had almost been a daughter to him, his eyes were shining.

"Good work Grey." His voice was rough and unsure, uncharacteristic to the hard surgeon who usually spoke. "Your mother couldn't have done it better herself."

Meredith only nodded her response, her eyes fixed on Derek's pale unconscious face, her expression unconvinced.

"Yang! Close him up, and when the transfusions complete we need to get him to ICU for observation." The Chief gave his last order before glancing over Derek's chart once more and leaving the room.

Meredith took a couple steps back as the nurses jumped into action once more and Cristina took her place near Derek.

Cristina gave Meredith her best supportive look and spoke quietly. "He's going to be okay Meredith. You saved his life." Cristina's mouth made a movement that was probably a smile, and then turned her attention to her task at hand.

Meredith gave a long side glance to Derek's handsome features and numbly retreated from the room. She wandered aimlessly until she found an empty exam room and slipped in, not bothering to close the door behind her.

Meredith stood in the middle of the room scared and confused. Since the moment the diesel had collided with the restaurant, she hadn't let herself stop and think. She hadn't let her mind comprehend all the terrible and horrific events of the night. Adrenaline had taken over her body and drove her all night, dictating her actions. Now that things had come to a complete and startling halt, everything began weighing on her like a ton of bricks.

Her head began to throb and her body shook. She tried to wrap her arms around her self to control the chill that suddenly swept up and down her skin, but they were met with unsettling cold dampness. She glanced down and noticed that dark blood had soaked through her one sleeved sweater and jeans. Derek's blood.

Her mind began to swirl, and her knees went unsteady. _What if he wasn't okay? What if she hadn't saved him? What the hell had possessed her to believe she could perform a reverse atrherose- discarticulation? _

Meredith covered her face in her blood stained hands and began to sob. They were quiet and even at first but soon turned frantic and desperate. Her body shook with the grief of all she had witnessed that night and the fear she had pretended to not show. When the tears slowed and her breathing became steady, she slowly lowered herself into one of the matching chairs that faced the empty bed. She sat and stared blankly ahead, absentmindedly wiping at the stray tears that seemed to keep falling, leaving perfect streaks of black and crimson across her cheek.

She hadn't sat for long before the light in the doorway was shadowed and a deep familiar voice pierced the empty silence.

"Well here's the big hero of the night! What are you doing sitting alone in a dark room, when there are about twenty five reporters stalking the lobby for a statement from you?" Mark crossed the room in long, even, arrogant strides and stood in front of the fragile doctor. He quickly observed Meredith had been crying, then after a moment of quiet debate inside his head, took the empty chair next to her.

He waited a moment before speaking. "He's going to be fine Grey. From what everyone's saying, you did an amazing job. You performed a procedure that most seasoned doctors can't do, surgeons who've been practicing medicine for decades. You've earned the right to gloat a little Grey. You _were_ a hero… but if you ask me…I think you were just trying to show off."

Meredith finally met Mark's eyes and for the first time since the devastation of the night, she let a small smile form on her lips.

"Thanks Mark." Her voice was scratchy and tired. The events of the night showing its toll on her heavy eyelids and drooped shoulders.

"That's what I'm here for. You know us dirty mistresses have to stick together." His eyes twinkled and he gave her a flirtatious wink.

Meredith giggled and rolled her eyes. "We're not dirty mistresses anymore. Remember?" She smiled and then went on teasingly. "At least _I'm_ not."

Mark's deep laughed echoed through the room, but before he could open his mouth in response, a quiet knock brought their attention to the door.

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Alex's eyes nervously darted to Mark, then rested easily on Meredith. A sincere smile spread across his face as he spoke, "Derek's awake. He's asking for you."

Meredith's eyes went wide and her face lit up. "Really? Is… is he … okay?"

"Better then was expected. He's still in ICU but his status had been downgraded from critical to serious."

Meredith fought with conflicting emotions. She was over-joyed that Derek was awake and that things looked good, but deep inside her nagged feelings of doubt. What if he wouldn't be able to walk? What if she'd done something wrong? Would he be mad she had performed such an invasive procedure?

Mark read the concern on her face and rested a reassuring had on her dirty jeans. "Come on kid, get yourself cleaned up, and then go to him. You'll feel better after you see him for yourself."

Meredith nodded and took a deep breath. She pasted a fake smile of surety on her face and jumped up.

She immediately regretted the quick movement as her head spun and the throbbing returned to her ears. Her knees were jelly, and she felt herself begin to fall as everything went white then black. She felt Mark's strong arms catch her before she hit the hard ground and heard Alex shout her name in concern, as the dark swallowed her completely.

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**A/N: Don't worry, Meredith is just a little overwhelmed and tired from everything that's happened. **

**Stay tuned...**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the dedicated reviews! I won't bore you this time with my babbling. I actually don't have much to say, except please let me know what you think! **

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The bright sunlight slowly spread through the room, washing the crisp white sheets and sterile furniture in a warm glow. Meredith stretched her sore arms and reached for the source of the shrill beeping that echoed through her throbbing head. She moaned and squeezed her eyes shut that weren't ready to great the day. She searched her mind, desperately trying to remember last night. She couldn't recall any bottles of tequila, her usual excuse for waking in a hazy fog. As her hand batted at the nothingness next to her bed, where her alarm clock should have sat, she opened her eyes wide in fright.

She was in a hospital bed. Her eyes searched the room in a quick panic and found the source of the annoying noise to be Cristina's pager, who sat in a chair next to the bed, her feet propped, reading a magazine.

The events of the previous night came flooding back with frightening enormity. The perfect dinner, the large semi trunk, the leaking fuel tank, the explosion. _Derek_.

Meredith moaned again and tried to cover her face with one of the stiff pillows that propped her head. She wished it had all been a dream. A horrible atrocious nasty bad dream. But it hadn't been. It had happened. It was reality. And she was unfortunately going to have to deal with her reality.

From under her temporary refuge of her white pillow, she heard Cristina chuckle. Meredith pulled the pillow down, tossing it aside and tried to give Cristina a dirty look, angry that her friend found her foul mood amusing. The muscle movement in Meredith's face caused her to cringe in pain and her hand immediately went to the large gauze bandage above her right brow.

She opened her mouth to question Cristina, but before she was able to get a word out, Mark came sauntering in. "Good morning ladies! Nice for you to join us sleepy head." Mark ignored the empty chair next to Cristina and opted for the side of Meredith's bed.

He took Meredith's face tenderly in one hand, and gently pulled back one side of the bandage on her forehead. Meredith watched him with confused eyes as he studied her wound carefully, then finally replaced the bandage and sat back satisfied.

"Now that is some mighty fine work if I do say so myself." He smiled a smug grin as he folded his large arms across his muscular chest.

Meredith's hand went again to the gauze on her head. "Wh.. What? You stitched me up?" Her eyes quickly fell to the fresh hospital gown that covered her body and she suddenly realized she had been washed and changed. Horror registered across Meredith's face, causing her porcelain cheeks to become a deep red. "Who changed me?!"

Mark's grin grew wider and he wiggled his eyebrows at Meredith in response. Meredith tried to sink back into the white sheets that cradled her body, wishing she could just disappear.

"Relax Mer." Cristina finally spoke up. "Bailey made McPervert here leave, and Callie and I cleaned you up. You were fully clothed before he was allowed back in to sew the gash on your forehead." Cristina rolled her eyes at the offended look Mark gave, and returned her attention to the magazine on her lap.

Meredith relaxed immediately and whacked Mark across his arm with the back of her hand. He only chuckled in response, showing he clearly enjoyed upsetting the young intern.

"Well, anyways, thank you Mark, for sewing me back together." Meredith said lightly, truly grateful she happened to be friends with a plastic surgeon.

"No problem, you know I wouldn't let anyone else work on such a pretty face. Besides, Derek doesn't need any more reasons to hate me. I really don't think he'd forgive me if I didn't do what I could to fix his beautiful girlfriend." Mark laughed at his own bad joke and noticed Meredith tense at the mention of his ex-bestfriend's name.

Mark stood at the sound of his pager, and quieting it with a push of a button, looked down at Meredith. "Well, I gotta run. If I don't run into you before, find me in a couple days and I'll check how your forehead's healing. Take care Meredith." He walked quickly to the door, and just before exiting, turned back and added, "And Meredith… talk to him. Everything's going to be fine."

Meredith nodded and gave a small wave as the handsome man disappeared down the hall.

"What was that about?" Cristina asked with raised eyebrows, temporarily loosing interest in her magazine.

"Nothing." Meredith wasn't even sure herself what was wrong.

"Oh right." Cristina said in perfected sarcasm. "And the 'deer in the headlights' look you got when he mentioned Derek was just nothing too." Cristina shut her magazine and plopped it on the empty tray sitting next to Meredith's bed.

"It is nothing. Besides, shouldn't you be working?" Meredith quickly glanced at the large round clock on the wall. "It's almost 7:30, you're missing rounds." Meredith folded her arms across her chest and avoided Cristina's probing eyes.

"I _am_ working. I'm checking on you." She replied matter of factly, making no effort to move her propped feet off of Meredith's bed.

Meredith rolled her eyes and began a retort of her own when Dr. Bailey swiftly entered the room.

Cristina jumped up from her relaxed position, grabbing Meredith's chart as she did, and automatically reached for the bag of clear liquid that dripped into Meredith's IV. She pretended to study it carefully, before scribbling something in her chart.

Dr. Bailey rolled her eyes and shook her head, fighting a small laugh that threatened to surface. This group of interns sure was something else. She opened her mouth to snap something at Cristina, but decided against it. It had been a long night for all of them, and looking down at Meredith, so small and frail against the large white hospital bed, her heart softened.

She cleared her throat, "How're ya feeling Grey?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Meredith nodded quickly and tried her best smile.

Bailey eyed her questioningly. It was just like this intern to claim she was fine and try to convince others there wasn't anything wrong, when her emotions showed clearly in her scared eyes.

Meredith shifted uncomfortably under Bailey's scrutinizing gaze, and spoke again. "I promise I'm fine. Please, just hurry and discharge me so I can get back to work. I really think I need to get back to work."

Now Cristina joined in as Bailey studied Meredith. Before either one could speak again, the door opened once more and the remaining interns stepped in.

Izzie led the small group, followed by Alex, and then George. They were all smiling proudly; Izzie's the biggest grin of them all.

It was Izzie who spoke first, "Wow, Mer! I mean, that was completely… I still can't believe…"

Izzie's voice trailed off and George quickly picked up where she left off, "Ya Meredith. You were incredible! Do you know how many reporters have been camped out downstairs, begging the Chief for an interview from you? It's a circus down there. I still can't believe…"

George's voice trailed off as well. No one could find the words to describe what exactly Meredith had done the night before.

"Ya Grey, you were pretty awesome." Alex threw in his two cents, before all three received a warning stare from Dr. Bailey.

She had been watching Meredith as her friends had started rattling off their praises towards her. She noticed Meredith visibly pale, and begin to sink lower and lower in her bed. She was extremely uncomfortable about something.

"That's enough. You all have places to be, patients to heal. Meredith needs her rest. You can visit her later, on your own time. _Not_ mine… So move!" Bailey ordered and the interns quickly obeyed, scurrying out of the room, including Cristina, who stopped at the door to give her person one more worried look before hurrying on.

"Now, Grey. I know you _think_ you're fine. But you've been through a traumatic experience. You took a good beating. We ran a course of antibiotics through your IV last night, so you should be fine. But you need to take it slow. I discussed this with the Chief and he and I both agree you need to take a few days before returning to your normal duties…."

Bailey held her hand up to silence Meredith as she opened her mouth in protest.

"… I know it's hard for you young hot shots who think you can't function more then ten feet away from the OR… but Grey… a lot happened that you need to deal with. So three days. Don't report back for your shift for _three_ days." Dr. Bailey waited to see if Meredith would put up any more fight, and when she was satisfied that Meredith concurred, she turned to leave.

"If you'd prefer to rest at home, I can send in a nurse to discharge you." Bailey turned back around in time to see Meredith nod. With that Bailey hurried out of the room.

* * *

Meredith was avoiding. She was avoiding Bailey, who would send her home to an empty house and yard full of reporters. She was avoiding Cristina, who could read her too easily and would ask questions that Meredith didn't know the answers to. And lastly, she was avoiding Derek. She wasn't ready yet to face everything that had happened last night. So she was avoiding.

She had followed George around for part of the morning after being discharged; until he had threatened to tell Bailey that she wasn't at home resting. So she had quickly ditched him, and joined Izzie and Alex down in the deserted basement. They sat on an empty gurney not really talking, just enjoying the silence. Izzie and Alex finished up patient charts while Meredith slowly ate a bag of Fritos she had purchased from the snack machine earlier. She wasn't really hungry but it gave her something to do. She carefully chewed each tiny little fried corn chip, before reaching for the next.

Approaching footsteps caused everyone to look up and Meredith sighed when Cristina appeared around the corner.

"What are you still doing here?" Cristina stared at Meredith skeptically.

"Avoiding." She answered honestly. Meredith didn't add that one of the things she happened to be avoiding, was now standing in front of her.

Cristina took a seat next to Meredith on the long gurney and reached in her bag of Fritos to retrieve a handful for herself.

"You know I don't get it. If I were you I'd be on like… cloud nine. Skipping around this hospital full of people _I _saved. Down in the lobby talking to any one of the handful of reporters. _Yes that's right, I did perform a rare reverse atrherose- discarticulation. In the back of a speeding ambulance no less. Yes that's right, Cristina Yang. Y-A-N-G_." Cristina used a pen from her pocket to mimic a microphone. "Heck, I'd be on the phone booking David Letterman and Oprah. Not down in a dark basement, _avoiding_."

Meredith just shook her head. She didn't know how to make Cristina understand. She wasn't sure why she couldn't be happy. Why she couldn't bask in all the sudden attention. Her mind just kept turning back to Derek, and all the blood. How scared she had been kneeling next to him in the rubble of the restaurant. How she had faked her steady calm in the back of the ambulance as it raced for Seattle Grace.

She knew everyone kept telling her Derek was fine. He was going to be okay- because of her. But the truth was, no one would know if he really _was_ going to be okay for a few weeks. They wouldn't know until the bandages came off and he tried to use his leg. Meredith wouldn't know if the surgery had been a success, until she found out if Derek would be able to walk or not. And that's what was eating away at her insides. She didn't want to be responsible for Derek loosing his ability to walk. She didn't want to move around with that burden for the rest of her life.

"Derek's going to be fine Meredith." It was Izzie who spoke, splitting Meredith's thoughts with the same words that had been repeated over and over to her since the night before.

"Just go talk to him Grey." Alex jumped in, sensing the turmoil going on inside Meredith's head.

"You haven't talked to Derek yet?" Cristina asked with wide, disbelieving eyes. She exchanged a look with Izzie and Alex and they all shook their heads.

"Oh! Like you are one to talk!" Meredith didn't have to remind Cristina what she was talking about. Cristina had did the same thing after Burke had been shot, but for completely different reasons.

Cristina knew she couldn't argue, so she just shrugged and snatched the almost empty bag of chips from Meredith. She tilted her head back and opened her mouth, letting the remaining crumbs fall in.

After chewing and swallowing her mouthful, she turned back to Meredith and studied her closely. "Go see him Mer. He doesn't even remember much of what happened last night and he's been on heavy painkillers all morning. Go break the news to him that he was saved by a _girl_."

Meredith laughed out loud at that, and nodded her agreement. She knew realistically she couldn't avoid him forever, and she honestly didn't want to. She figured now was as good as ever.

Meredith easily hopped off the gurney and gave a quick wave to her friends, hurrying to the elevators. She wanted to get to Derek before he came out of his heavily sedated state and anyone else could talk to him. She knew just what she needed to do.

* * *

Meredith strolled nonchalantly down the hall outside Derek's hospital room. She quickly eyed her surroundings and found that the area was deserted. No rushing doctors, no lingering nurses. She walked quickly to the door of Derek's room, except instead of entering, she stopped and looked around once more out of paranoia. She snatched his medical chart that hung on a clip outside the door and flipped quickly through the pages. When her eyes found what they were looking for, Meredith reached in her pocket for her pen, and promptly scribbled out a few lines. When she was satisfied, she replaced the chart and took a deep breath.

She dried her sweaty palms on her pants and reached for the silver door knob, when a voice behind her caused her yell out in surprise and spin around. When she looked up she was face to face with Dr. Torres.

"Whoa, calm down Grey! I just asked how you were doing." Callie gave Meredith a strange look.

"Oh… I'm sorry Callie. You just scared me… is all." Meredith tried her practiced smile that was getting easier and easier to fake. "I was just… uh… going in to see how Derek was doing. That's all… nothing else." Meredith cursed herself for how foolish she sounded.

"Okay, that's great Meredith." Callie shook her head, wondering why George's friends all acted so weird around her.

As Callie turned to leave, Meredith called out. "Um, Callie?"

"Ya?"

"Have you…um…does Derek know about last night, that I… Does he know about the surgery?" Meredith knew she wasn't making much sense.

"No, not yet. Why?" Callie furrowed her dark brows.

"Um, no reason. I was just wondering though… do you think you could _not_ tell him?" Meredith hurried on at Callie's extremely confused face. "It's just that,_ I_ want to tell him… but not yet. A lot's happened, and it's overwhelming…and I think it'd be for the best, to just leave the fact that _I_ did the surgery out of it. Not even mention I was there."

Meredith's eyes were pleading, and even though Callie couldn't even begin to imagine why Meredith didn't want Derek to know her part in everything that had happened last night, she nodded her agreement.

"Sure Grey, whatever you want. I'll let the others know."

Meredith heaved a sigh of relief and watched Callie disappear down the hall before turning and finally entering Derek's room.

The room was dark and machine's beeped from each side of Derek's bed. His dark curls stood at a stark contrast to the white pillow, and Meredith couldn't help but smile. His face had regained the healthy color it had lacked the night before, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

She tiptoed quietly to the side of his bed, not wanting to disturb his slumber. She gazed down a minute before slowly bending to rest a soft kiss on a stubbled cheek. Meredith straightened and turned to leave, when she heard a soft sigh escape his lips.

"Mmmmm. I've been waiting for you all day. Where've you been?"

Meredith smiled and turned back around to face him. "I'm sorry. I… I should have come sooner."

Derek finally opened his eyes all the way and frowned when he saw the bandage on her forehead. "You're hurt. Are you okay?"

Meredith nodded. "I'm fine." She had almost perfected those two words.

Derek shook his head and let out a soft chuckle. He knew this beautiful woman way to well to even start to believe her. He tried to push himself up a little with his arms and cringed when his legs shifted. Meredith hurried to his side and helped adjust a few pillows behind his back until he was more comfortable.

"So last night was pretty bad, hu? I can't remember much, but what I've gathered from everything people are saying, we're lucky to be alive." Derek shook his head slowly, trying to comprehend the magnitude of what had occurred. "Do you remember anything? How did we get out? The firemen and paramedics must have gotten there pretty quick, right?"

Meredith nodded slowly. "Ya… um…I don't remember that much either." She averted her eyes quickly and they fell to the two large casts on both of Derek's legs, covered by a thin white sheet.

Derek followed Meredith's gaze. His voice grew quieter and his speech slowed. "Apparently I was crushed by a beam or something. Two broken legs and three fractured ribs. Not much fun, but it could have been worse. I'm just so glad that _you're_ okay. That's all that really matters to me Mer."

Derek closed his eyes, evident that the painkillers were still keeping him drowsy. Tears fell from Meredith's eyes and she whispered, "I love you."

"Hmmm?" Derek's body relaxed and Meredith knew he had fallen back asleep. She was glad he wasn't in too much pain, and leaned over to kiss him again. This time she aimed for his lips and kissed him hard and long. She ran a hand through his soft hair, before pulling the thin sheet over him protectively and tucking in the sides around his strong torso. She watched him sleep for a minute more before silently turning and leaving him to his drug induced slumber.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So good news, the first chapter of the sequel to "Out of the Darkness" will be up tomorrow! The site's being super slow for me today and I just can't get it uploaded for some reason. So you'll have to wait a day on that. But until then, read and enjoy this. Remember there's only going to be like 10 or 11 chapter's for this so we're coming to an end. But I promise it doesn't end without a 'big bang'! Anyway's as always thanks for the reviews and keep'em coming...**

* * *

"I don't get it Meredith. Why don't you just tell him? What are so afraid of? You _saved _his life." Izzie was following Meredith around the locker room as the five interns hurried and changed for their early morning shift.

"I'm not afraid of anything. I _will_ tell him… just not yet." Meredith tried to ignore the four sets of eyeballs trained on her, as she quickly put her hair up in a sloppy bun.

"That's what you said earlier. You said you'd tell him once he was moved to recovery. He's been there for almost a week now." It was George's turn to probe. No one was trying to push Meredith or annoy her; they just sincerely cared about their friend and couldn't understand what was going on in her head.

"I _will_ tell him!" Meredith shot her friends a look that said drop it as they hurried out of the locker room and into the path of their resident.

"You're late!" Was Dr. Bailey's only greeting before she started barking out their assignments for the day. "Stevens' you're with Sloan. Karev, Dr. Montgomery has requested you. Yang and O'Malley, you're both with Burke on the triple bi-pass. Grey, find Dr. Torres. Everyone move!"

The five interns scattered in various directions of the hospital. Meredith moved a little slower than usual. She hadn't admitted it out loud, but she had been dreading being assigned to Callie. Derek was one of Callie's patients and that meant spending the day with Derek staring at her with kind, loving eyes. Compassionate looks that she felt she didn't deserve.

* * *

Meredith found Callie and let her know she was her intern. Callie didn't think twice of it and quickly assigned Meredith her tasks for the morning. She only had three patients to check on and do their daily workups, and Meredith had decided to leave Derek for last.

Her first two patients went by uncomplicated and before she knew it, Meredith stood outside Derek's room. Her hands unconsciously went to her messy bun and she tried to smooth the hair that stuck out on top. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Inside she found Derek sitting up in his bed, a borrowed copy of The Sun Also Rises opened on his lap. When his eyes met Meredith's, a large grin immediately split his face and he closed the book and laid it to the side, his complete attention on his beautiful girlfriend.

"Good morning!" He said cheerfully. Obviously pleased to see Meredith.

"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Meredith smiled as she opened his chart to check if anything had changed overnight.

"Better now that you're here. I missed you last night. I thought you were going to stop by after you got off?" Derek tried to read Meredith's face as she studied his chart intensely.

"Ya, I'm sorry. I got paged last minute, and had to scrub in with Dr. Bailey. It was late when I got out and you were already asleep." Meredith answered honestly. She snapped his chart shut and smiled back at Derek as she came around to the side of his bed.

Meredith began the exam, Derek not taking his eyes off of her once. She started by taking out her stethoscope and warming up the cool metal by breathing on it. A slow smile spread across Derek's face as she lowered his gown to press it against his bare chest. She listened as he breathed in and out, moving the medical instrument to various different spots. When she was satisfied, she put the stethoscope back in her pocket. She sat softly on the side of his bed and took his right hand in hers, finding his pulse with her two fingers and counting it off silently in her head.

Derek's grin slowly turned seductive and he leaned in close to Meredith, breathing in a deep whiff of her hair. He sighed, content at the lavender aroma that filled his nostrils.

Meredith turned to him with amused eyes. "Do you do that to_ all_ your doctors?"

"Only the pretty ones."

At Meredith's fake shock, Derek grabbed her with both of his hands and pulled her close, meeting her lips with his.

Meredith quickly forgot about the exam, and let the chart that sat on her lap, fall to the ground. She climbed gently on Derek's bed, careful not to touch either one of his legs.

Meredith carefully straddled Derek, leaning down to kiss him deep. Derek's hand explored her body, finally slowly inching up her scrub top. Meredith giggled into Derek's mouth as he let out quiet, needy moans.

She pulled away momentarily to look into his handsome face, smiling at the wild look he held in his eyes. "I better be the only doctor you feel up, Shepherd."

Derek laughed and lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "Would it be wrong if I asked you for a sponge bath?"

Meredith tilted her head back and laughed out loud. "You are impossible!"

Derek didn't disagree as he laughed and pulled her back down to him, kissing her again fiercely. Meredith let Derek kiss away all her uncertainty, all her doubt. She forgot the conflicting pain that had filled her with turmoil for the last few weeks. She was lost in his passionate kiss that made everything better.

At the moment, everything was right in Meredith's world, until they both heard someone clear their throat behind them, clearly annoyed.

Meredith opened her eyes and pulled reluctantly away from Derek's kiss. She turned her head and was surprised to see a dark haired woman standing in the doorway, arms folded across her chest sternly, tapping her foot annoyed. Meredith didn't recognize the woman, and wanted to tell her to go away so she could kiss her boyfriend, until Derek's voice caused her to jump off the bed.

"Mother!"

Meredith stumbled to her feet and straightened out her clothes and hair, her face a shade of crimson. She bent down and quickly picked up the scattered patient chart. She looked at Derek with wide unbelieving eyes and he only shrugged, a little amused at the situation.

The tall, cultured woman, ignored Meredith and crossed the room to the opposite side of Derek's bed. She bent down and quickly kissed her son on his cheek before speaking.

"I know you told me not to come out Derek, but I couldn't handle the thought of my little boy being hurt, all alone in a hospital with no one to take care of him." Her blue eyes, identical to Derek's, stayed fixed on his face.

"Mom, I told you. I'm _not_ alone." Derek turned and smiled at Meredith who stood frozen on her side of the bed.

Before Derek could continue, his mother interrupted. "You are alone son. If I'm correct you left your wife… got a… _divorce_." She spit the word out like it was a swear word. "Your poor Grandmother probably rolled over in her grave! The way marriage means nothing to people these days." The dark haired woman shook her head in disbelief.

Meredith watched Derek's face redden in anger. "Mother, like I said, I'm not alone." His face softened as he looked into his mother's eyes. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Meredith." Derek turned to Meredith who still hadn't spoken a word. "Meredith this is my mom, Regina Shepherd."

Meredith smiled and offered her hand out across the bed. Regina Shepherd made no attempt to meet the friendly gesture. She instead raised her eyes to Meredith, looking at her for the first time since she entered the room.

Her eyes were cold and her smile was fake. "Oh, you must be the intern I've heard so much about." Regina studied Meredith with contempt. "You're young, but pretty. You must be real good to get a devoted husband of eleven years to throw everything away for an adulterous tryst in an empty exam room." The woman tilted her head, challenging Meredith to respond.

Meredith's breath left her lungs and she knew she had to get out of there before she said something she regretted. She stole a quick look at Derek, who looked just as shocked as she, clenching and unclenching his jaw and fists.

"I um… I really have work to do. It was nice meeting you Mam." Meredith backed out of the room and hurried away avoiding eye contact with the evil woman who was Derek's mother.

* * *

Derek sat tense and annoyed, roughly turning the pages of the novel he had asked one of the nurses to find in the sparse hospital library. He had stopped reading the memorized pages hours ago, but pretended to be deeply engrossed, avidly avoiding his mother. She had been in town for only two days and already Derek was ready to leap out his hospital window.

"You can't ignore me forever Derek. I'm your mother. You have to at least acknowledge my existence." Regina pressed the mute button on the small TV that hung on a wall and turned to her son, exasperated.

"This is just so not like you. Divorcing Addison was one thing, but what's all this with the intern? Is it really necessary? Is this fling to help you get through a mid-life crisis or something? I just don't get it."

Derek slammed his book shut with a loud thud. "Mother, she is _not_ a fling! She is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I was in love with Addison. We were good for each other. But that ended. Try to understand Mom. I am in love with Meredith. We're not just good for each other; we're perfect for each other. She completes something inside me that I didn't know was missing until I met her. I didn't know love could be so… soul consuming…so tangible. She makes me see life in a whole new light. I feel like I was asleep for so many years, and now I'm awake. She is_ not_ a fling."

Regina Shepherd rocked back a little in her hard chair. She had never seen her son so emotional and passionate over something. Especially over a girl.

"I'm… I'm sorry Derek." Regina found herself at a loss for words, something that nearly never happened to this matriarch of the family.

Derek nodded, his anger melting a little at the rare apology that came from his mothers lips.

"Let's talk about something else Hon. Like when do you expect to get out of the hospital? When does your physical therapy start? Do they expect you to walk? By the tone of that Dr. Torres' voice, your injuries sound far more complicated then just two broken legs."

Derek sighed and leaned back against his pillows. "I'm not sure when I'll be discharged mom. It won't be for a while though. My left leg has only a compound fracture, but my right leg was more seriously injured. Apparently there were torn ligaments and arteries and muscles." Derek laughed at the grossed out look that crossed his mother's face and had to remind himself she wasn't a doctor.

"They're not sure if I'll be able to walk mom." Derek's voice softened at the pain in his mother's eyes. "It's okay. I'm okay with that. I'm alive. Meredith's alive. As long as I've got her by my side, everything will be fine." Derek smiled and rested his head back, believing every single word he spoke.

Regina nodded slowly, remarking in her son's calmness. "I still can't believe what happened. A semi into a restaurant? What are the odds?"

Derek agreed. "Ya, it was pretty intense. The hospital is still full of the people who were hurt that night. I personally can't believe more weren't killed. I wish I could remember more what happened. How I got out… how Meredith got out? I just… I don't know. It doesn't add up. It must have been by some kind of miracle."

Mother and son sat in the silence of the hospital room, the muted television flickering eerie colored shadows across the bed. Derek stared at the noiseless images on the screen. He didn't really like TV, and hadn't turned it on once since being moved to his recovery room. The remote hadn't even been touched, until his mother had surprised him with her unexpected visit, and not being able to handle her son's silent treatment, she'd clicked it on for Oprah.

Oprah had come to an end and the highlights of the evening news were playing across the screen. Derek saw a picture of a familiar restaurant flash on the screen, and he pointed to the TV.

"Turn it up mom! They're talking about the accident."

They sat in shocked silence as horrid images were shown from the night of the disaster. The tipped fuel tank, the rubble, the frantic rescue personnel, the line of waiting ambulances. The camera panned through the grief stricken faces and panicked onlookers. Derek was too stunned to hear the voice of the reporter until two words snapped him from his stupor.

"Meredith Grey"

"What?! What is she saying?" Derek looked at his mother with wide eyes and motioned for her to turn it up more.

"…_The brave woman who saved over 50 people that night, still remains silent. She turned down our requests for an on camera interview, replying, quote, 'I am not a hero. I did what anyone else would do in my situation.'" The reporter on TV shook her head in amazement. "It was confirmed today with Seattle Grace's public affair representative that Dr. Grey was indeed the doctor to perform the life saving surgery on a fellow doctor's leg, in route to the hospital. Dr. Grey may not think she's a hero, but I know I speak for the rest of Seattle when I say, I completely disagree. Katie Hannik, Seven News."_

Derek sat numb. Unable to take it all in. Meredith had been a hero that night? Why hadn't she told him? Had she preformed surgery on his leg? Why hadn't Dr. Torres mentioned that to him?

"What is it Derek? Who's Dr. Grey? What was that reporter talking about?" His confused mother started shooting questions at him, making his head pound.

"Calm down a minute mom. I'm not sure what she was talking about. I..." Derek was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. "Come in!" He called out as he rubbed his face with his hands, trying to piece things together.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry to bother you. They told me we might be able to find Dr. Grey in here?"

Derek looked up quickly at the voice he didn't recognize. His eyes fell upon a large man and a small blond girl. She held on tightly to him with one hand and carried a small bouquet of purple flowers in her other.

Derek was a little confused. "I'm sorry, I think you missed her for the day. She's already left." At the two looks of disappointment, Derek pressed on. "Um, can I ask how you know Dr. Grey?"

The man nodded, his eyes immediately glistening over. "We were at the restaurant that night. When all the commotion started, my wife and I got separated from Amanda here. Dr. Grey saw her standing by the window and didn't even hesitate before running out and grabbing her. She saved Amanda's life." The large man's voice started to shake as he continued. "She was amazing. Dr. Grey organized the rescue and got everyone out safely. She even made a splint for my wife's broken arm. They told her if Dr. Grey wouldn't have put that splint on and set the break when she did, it would have been a lot worse. I owe my life to that doctor."

Derek stared back with tears in his eyes. He'd been in the hospital for almost two weeks, and he'd heard whispers and rumors, but now everything was starting to slowly make since. Derek swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat but before he could speak, the man went on.

"Wait a minute! I think I recognize you now. You were with Dr. Grey the night of the accident weren't you?"

Derek nodded and tried his voice. "Yes, we were having dinner together."

"I thought you looked familiar! You were stuck under a large beam that Dr. Grey and another man couldn't get if off. She refused to leave your side. Even after search and rescue explained they couldn't come in until the area was secure. She said she wasn't going anywhere without you. That's when me and a few other men went back into the building to help. We knew we owed her that much, after all she'd done for us."

Tears now rolled down both Derek's and his mother's cheeks. Derek had to clear his throat a few times before being able to speak. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me this."

The man nodded and looked down at his daughter. "Well, I'm sorry we missed her, but it was a pleasure seeing you and I'm glad you're all right. Dr. Grey sure is something special. I hope you take real good care of her." He crossed the room and shook Derek's hand firmly. Then turning to leave, he motioned for his daughter to leave the flowers on the empty tray, and they hurried out of the room.

After a few moments of silence, Derek turned to look at his mother.

"Wow Derek. I had no idea…" Regina's voice was quiet, almost reverent.

"Neither did I Mom. Neither did I."


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry for the delay in getting this up. The next chapter after this is kind of a filler to lead to chapter 10 which is the grand finale! We're almost there. Anyways, read and review! As always thank you so much for reading!**

* * *

Meredith was hurrying through the halls of Seattle Grace. Derek's mother had been in town for 3 days now, and Meredith was avoiding both of them like the plague. The woman was very unpleasant and, just like Derek's sister Nancy who had popped into town a few months back, didn't seem to care that much for Meredith.

Meredith didn't blame her either. She didn't compare to the designer shoes she was filling. Derek's ex-wife, Addison, was leggy and gorgeous and a world renowned Neonatal surgeon. And Meredith was…Meredith. A messy intern who had had a screwed up childhood and a track record for sleeping with inappropriate men.

Meredith heard the familiar ding of the arriving elevator and sprinted to reach it before the doors shut. She sighed in relief as she stuck an arm in just in time, and the closing door retracted to let her in. Meredith smiled at George as she hurried on, eager to check on her last patient so she could head home.

Meredith and George enjoyed the comfortable silence as they rode. The sound of Meredith's ringing cell phone brought them both out of their thoughts as she retrieved the small silver contraption and glanced at the screen. She quickly pushed a button to send the caller to voice mail and replaced the phone in her lab coat pocket.

George gave her a curious look and Meredith shrugged. "Derek."

The one word explained it all to her good friend who nodded knowingly. "Ah, so you're still avoiding the _mom_."

Meredith gave him a sheepish look before turning back to stare ahead.

George shifted back and forth nervously, "You know. Anyone who can't see how wonderful you are, is a fool in my opinion."

Meredith turned back to her dear friend and smiled appreciatively. "Thanks George."

George nodded and returned the smile. The elevator stopped and George stepped off as the doors opened. "Have a good night." He said over his shoulder as he hurried off.

Meredith sighed and leaned fatigued against the back wall as the doors began to close. Just as the two metallic doors almost met, an aged, manicured hand interrupted the meeting and the doors reversed their motion quickly.

Regina Shepherd stepped regally unto the elevator, shifting her large Bottega Vaneta handbag over her shoulder. She eyed the young intern with an unreadable expression and Meredith shifted uneasy, pressing herself as far back into the wall as possible.

The dark haired woman waited for the doors to close and the elevator to start its descent, before turning to face Meredith.

"You are just the lady I was off to see. You've been avoiding me and my son." It wasn't a question, it was a blunt statement.

"Oh, um… no… it's just that…um…" Meredith sputtered, wishing so hard she could just verbalize a coherent response.

"You can relax Meredith." Regina held Meredith's gaze. "I'm headed back to New York. My flight leaves in three hours."

Meredith felt uncomfortable under her fixed stare. "Oh, um... I'm sorry you have to leave…um, so soon." Meredith cursed herself, wishing she could stop stuttering and sound like an intelligent adult.

"I came out here because I thought Derek was alone and didn't have anyone to help take care of him. When Derek told me he was divorcing Addison, I thought he was making the biggest mistake of his life. That he didn't know what he was doing… And then when my daughter Nancy came home from Seattle, reporting that Derek was involved with a young intern, the first thing I thought was he'd thrown away eleven years for a gold digging home wrecker, but…."

Something snapped inside Meredith and she couldn't hold her anger inside any longer. She stood up straight and took a step towards Derek's mom, interrupting her. "You listen and you listen good! I don't care that you're Derek's mom… and there's some unwritten rule that I'm suppose to be polite and kind to my boyfriends family… I just don't care! I have _had_ it with the rude names and the degrading looks. You and your daughter come prancing in from your upper class world, and look down on me past your stuck up noses, insinuating that I'm not good enough for Derek… that what we have can't possibly be real. Well news flash, I don't _care_ if you don't approve. I don't _care_ that you think I'm just a slutty intern that had some crazed need to break up a happy marriage. I _love_ Derek. He is the man I never knew I always wanted. And we're happy. I had a crappy childhood and my adult life wasn't much better, until I met him. He completes me. And no matter what hell life throws our way, whether it be an exploding semi or a witchy mother, we'll get through it. We'll get through it _together_. I am going to stand by Derek's side no matter what the future might hold. I don't care if he's bed ridden for the rest of his life… I'll be there to help him, and love him, and _take care of him_. Me. Not Addison… and not you…. _Me_."

Meredith let out her breath and braced herself for Regina's rebuttal. She couldn't believe she had just told off Derek's mom. Meredith's short term pride for finally standing up for herself, started shifting into fear as the silence echoed through the elevator.

"…_but_," Regina continued when she was sure Meredith was finished. "…I quickly discovered how entirely wrong I was in my assumptions. In the nearly forty years since Derek was born, I have _never_ seen him happier." Derek's mother turned so she was completely facing Meredith.

Meredith watched in shock as Regina' eyes filled with tears and she put her arms tightly around her, causing Meredith's body to immediately go stiff in fear.

Regina's voice shook as she continued, keeping her hold on the frightened intern. "I know what you did Meredith. Thank you. Thank you for saving my baby." Regina quickly let go of Meredith and dabbed at her eyes with a folded ivory handkerchief she retrieved from her pocket. She cleared her throat and went on, as if she had never broke her composure.

"I will now go back to New York with complete confidence that Derek is being well taken care of. You are doing a far better job than I could ever do…. And Meredith?" Regina paused and waited for Meredith to nod before continuing. "On behalf of Derek's family, I want to offer my most sincere apologies. My daughter and I were too quick to judge. I am so sorry. I can now see what Derek sees in you. You are an incredible young woman and Derek is very lucky to have you in his life now. I can only hope that one day you will be part of our family and find it in your heart to forgive us. I would be lucky for the opportunity to get to know you better as one of my daughters."

The bell chimed and the elevator came to a stop before the doors slowly opened. Regina stepped off and started to walk away before stopping and turning once more to Meredith. "Good bye Meredith. And again… _thank you_."

With that the doors closed and Meredith could only stand in awe, unbelieving of the scene that had just played out before her.

* * *

Meredith quickly finished the remaining of her shift, robotically dealing with her patient, before hurrying to the locker room to change. Her conversation with Derek's mother played over and over in her head until she knew she could put it off no longer. His mother had mentioned she knew she had saved Derek. She wondered if Derek knew as well, and _what_ exactly did he know. And most importantly, was he mad? Did he blame her for the fact that his doctors didn't think he'd be able to walk again?

She quickly slipped on her jeans and sweater, then after gathering her discarded scrubs and stuffing them into her locker, she hurried out and towards Derek's room.

It was late so Meredith opened the door and stepped in quietly. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room before her gaze settled on Derek's piercing blue eyes, watching her carefully.

His stare was unreadable, so Meredith took a few steps closer, stopping at the foot of his bed. She kept her eyes glued to the ground, wringing her hands nervously, unsure of what to say.

"How are you feeling?" She asked quietly, finally meeting his stare.

A smile slowly spread across Derek's face as he spoke. "Come sit by me."

Meredith reluctantly moved to the side of the bed and sat gingerly on the soft mattress. Derek grabbed both of her fidgeting hands in his two strong ones, forcing her to still her nervous habit. Meredith stared at their joined hands, watching Derek's thumbs move comfortingly in small circles on her soft skin.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Derek's gentle question caused Meredith to snap her head up with wide scared eyes.

"Wh…What?" Meredith decided to play the ignorant card while she searched her mind for something that could possibly explain her actions.

"Mer. What's going on with you? I just don't understand. You were amazing… you were a hero. Do you know how many lives you saved that night?! You saved _my_ life. Why? Why didn't you tell me?"

Meredith fought back the tears that seemed to always threaten. "I'm so sorry Derek. Please don't be mad." Her voice was only a whisper.

Derek's eyes went wide in surprise. "Mad?! Meredith how could you possibly think I'd be mad? I am so proud of you. You saved my _life_. What would even make you think for a second I'd be _mad_?"

"I don't know what I was thinking Derek! You were bleeding, and I was so scared. I knew I needed to stop the blood and all I could think was reverse atherose discarticulation. I know, that sounds insane! How could I possibly think I could pull of such a complicated procedure? I'm so sorry Derek, it's my fault. If you never walk again, it's _all_ my fault. And I'm _so_ sorry." Meredith began to openly sob.

Derek pulled her body into his and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back in an attempt to calm her. When her sobs began to slow, Derek spoke. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard Meredith Grey. You did the only thing you knew of to stop the bleeding. I don't _care_ if I ever walk again. That doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is being with you. Making love and waking up to you everyday for the rest of my life. I want to have babies with you. I want to grow old and grey, with you by my side. Nothing will ever change that. Whatever happens in the next few weeks, whether I can walk or not, doesn't matter to me. Just as long as I have you… and you're all right. _That's_ what matters to me."

Derek pulled Meredith's face away from his chest for a minute to look into her eyes to see if she understood. Her eyes were red and shone with tears, but she nodded and finally smiled.

Meredith wiped at her wet cheeks with a sleeve of her sweater. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She wasn't use to this. A man loving her so passionately and so openly. She never thought of herself as one to settle down and have children. But looking into Derek's eyes that were filled with so much compassion and honestly, she couldn't imagine her life any other way. She didn't _want_ to imagine her life any other way.

Meredith slipped off her sneakers and moved herself so she was completely on the bed, lying next to Derek. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and Meredith nuzzled into his chest. They laid that way, both content to just be in each other's arms, not needing any more words to communicate what they were feeling. Meredith fell asleep first, feeling safer and more at peace than she had in a long time. Derek quickly followed, sensing that for the first time since Addison showed up all those months ago, Meredith had finally let him in.

* * *

Meredith woke early the next morning and glanced at the clock. Rounds started in forty five minutes. That didn't give her much time to get to the locker room for a quick shower and to get changed into clean scrubs. She glanced at Derek, who still had his arms wrapped protectively around her, and tried to slip out of his grasp without waking him. She was almost out, her body as far to the side of the bed as possible without falling off, when his arms tightened their grip and pulled her back to his body forcefully.

"Where do you think you're going?" He finally opened his eyes and smiled down at Meredith.

"I have rounds Derek. I can't stay and cuddle all morning." Her voice was light and she smiled and tipped her head so her lips reached Derek's.

He pulled her even closer, deepening the kiss. Meredith let her hands wonder to his hair and ran her fingers through the soft tresses. The kiss became more passionate and Meredith quickly pushed him away.

"Ouch! You _really_ need to shave." Meredith rubbed her hand over her mouth that was now red from whisker burn.

"Hey! It's not my fault, I haven't been allowed out of bed for more than two weeks!" Derek put both of his hands on either side of Meredith's face and pulled her close. He rubbed his stubbled chin in her soft neck causing her to erupt into laughter. She desperately tried to push him away, but he was too strong. He dropped one of his hands to her inner thigh, where he knew she was the most ticklish, and he attacked her there as well. Meredith gasped for breath as she laughed, uselessly trying to pound him with her ineffectual fists.

The door flew opened and Callie and George walked in, causing Derek and Meredith's little battle to come to an abrupt stop.

Meredith stood up reluctantly from his bed and Derek let out a defeated sigh.

"Good morning. We heard you stayed the night Meredith, so we brought coffee and bagels." George smiled at Meredith, showing he was glad she was talking to Derek again, as he placed the two Styrofoam cups with steam coming from the lids, and a brown bag that assumingly contained bagels, on the tray.

Meredith and Derek smiled gratefully as they reached for their gifts. Derek retrieved a cinnamon raison bagel and took a large bite before turning towards the newly weds, with a mouthful of half chewed bagel, and spoke, "Thank you guys."

Meredith giggled at him as she sipped her coffee, and was about to add her own gratitude, when the door flew open once more and a flustered Izzie hurried in.

Everyone's eyes fell on her as she retrieved a stained, crumpled up piece of paper and held it out in front of her, accusing eyes on Meredith.

"Meredith! What the hell is this?!"

Meredith immediately recognized the discarded letter and her mouth fell open in shock. "Izzie! Where did you get that?" Meredith's voice was laced with anger of her own.

"In the garbage! I needed a frosting recipe off of the powder sugar bag I threw away this morning and this was under it. What the hell is it doing in the garbage can?" Izzie demanded again.

Meredith's face paled and she wasn't sure what to do or say, so she remained quiet.

The other occupants of the room however were incredibly curios as to what was going on, and Derek stared at Meredith with questioning eyes. Finally, not being able to take it any longer, George reached over and took the soiled paper that Izzie was still holding up, and held it between him and Callie so they could read it for themselves.

A smile spread slowly across both of their faces as their eyes raced across the letter.

"Meredith this is great!"

"Wow Meredith." They spoke at the same time.

"What?" Derek finally asked, frustrated he had no idea what was going on.

"It's nothing." Meredith snapped at her friends and threw them a threatening look.

"It isn't _nothing, _Mer" Izzie softened her voice. "You're being awarded a medal of honor from the City of Seattle. This is _big_."

"No, it's not_ big_. It is _nothing_. We don't even need to be discussing this! I am not going to the banquet, I am not accepting the award. End of conversation!" She picked up her discarded shoes from the night before, crossed the room and snatched the letter from George. "Now if you don't mind, I don't want to be late for rounds." Meredith huffed out of the room, letting the door shut loudly behind her.

All four of them exchanged a look, and then Derek sighed heavily. He rested his head back on his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Sometimes Meredith could be so frustrating. He felt like she took one step forward and two steps back. He shook his head. Her mother had really broken Meredith, and he vowed, that even if it took the rest of his life, he was going to fix her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So this is kind of long, but I had a lot to get in before chapter 10 which is the award ceremony and the end of this story. SO I hope this is entertaining enough and I don't loose anyone, becuase the next chap is SO good, I can't wait to post it!! Anyways, as always thanks for the reviews, you guys are definitely "far from ordinary" yourselves. Okay that was cheesey. Sorry. I'll stop now. READ AND REVIEW!**

* * *

Meredith took a large bite of her tuna sandwich with sprouts on rye, and chewed carefully as she studied the five cards in her hand carefully. A smirk crossed her features as she laid down her three queens and pair of tens

"Ha! Full house. Read 'em and weep!"

Alex cursed and threw his cards down, and Cristina glared, reluctantly setting her cards face down next to Alex's

"You know, I hate playing poker with you." Cristina told her best friend, as Meredith bounced up and down excitedly, retrieving her winnings from the pot. She threw in her bag the two miniature bottle's of shampoo, one box of latex gloves, six tongue depressers, and three ball point pins with the words Seattle Grace printed on their side. It was definitely the biggest pot of the day.

Meredith threw Cristina her biggest grin as she sat back and took another large bite from her sandwich.

"Are you eating _grass_?" George asked looking disgustedly at Meredith's lunch, entering really-old-guy's room with Izzie close behind, both with trays of food in hand.

"It's not grass, it's _sprouts_." Meredith replied defensively.

"Same thing. Seriously, I think McDreamy's brain washed you." Cristina said as she gathered the playing cards and stuffed them back in their box.

"He has not!"

"Um, you had Muesli for breakfast this morning."

Meredith shot Izzie a look causing them to all laugh. Meredith finally smiled and went back to her sandwich.

"So how's Derek's physical therapy coming along?" Izzie asked brightly, chasing a cherry tomato around in her salad with a fork.

"Can we not talk about that right now?" Meredith asked not looking up, her usual attitude whenever anyone brought up Derek's physical therapy or the fact that two months later, he still couldn't walk.

"Fine." Cristina jumped in. "Then let's talk about the banquet that's coming up in four days. You know the one you refuse to talk about that the mayor _and_ governor will be at to award you a medal of honor." Cristina smiled and raised her brows towards Meredith, challenging her.

"Cristina! Seriously. There's nothing to talk about because I'm not going. Would you all _please_ stop bringing it up?"

"Mer, you've been avoiding it for almost two months now. It's a big honor. They hardly ever give out Medal Of Honor's." George threw in helpfully.

"Look, it's not that big of deal. There's going to be lot's of other people there receiving awards. They won't even know I didn't show."

"The other awards are only honorable mentions Meredith. Your's is the main one. The whole city of Seattle will know if you're not there so quit being a baby and go." It was Alex's turn to show his support.

Cristina laughed at Alex's bluntness and Izzie slapped the back of his head and gave him a look. Alex just shrugged and went back to reading the sports section of the newspaper he had pulled out from his back pocket.

"I'm not being a baby." Meredith shot Alex a look of her own before continuing. "I just don't think it's right to be celebrating something like that when my boyfriend is stuck in a wheel chair. He hasn't even been released from the hospital yet. It's too soon. I'm not going to do it." Meredith folded her arms across her chest and looked at them, signaling she was done talking about it.

"Mer, stop. We all know what you're doing and it's dumb. Quit blaming yourself. Derek's alive because of you. He still has two legs, because of you. It's not your fault he can't walk. You did everything you could. Derek doesn't blame you so neither should you." Izzie's voice was concerned but Meredith was growing agitated.

"Why do we have to keep talking about _me_? Let's talk about someone else! Like, Alex…"

Alex raised his brows, curious where Meredith planned to take it.

"…What's with you and Addison? Everyone noticed the look that passed between you two this morning during rounds? Let's talk about _that_."

Alex held his breath to see what the others would say, and when he saw they had no idea what Meredith was talking about, he laughed. "Good try Grey. You can't make up something between me and Dr. Montgomery to get the focus off of _your_ messed up life."

Meredith gasped offended and wadded up her napkin to throw at Alex. They all laughed, as a stern voice from the doorway caused everyone to jump up.

"Why is it always _my_ interns? What do you think you're doing in here? This is a patients room. Not your personal lounge. Have some respect for the ill." Dr. Bailey looked disbelieving at her five interns.

They stood frozen in fear, not making an attempt to move, so Bailey spoke again. "I know you all have somewhere to be. Go now! Move!"

Everyone quickly gathered their belongings and hurried to exit the room.

"Grey! You hold on a moment." Bailey barked, causing Meredith to stop in her tracks and throw her fleeing friends a desperate look. The four scurrying interns didn't hold back their relief that it wasn't them being asked to stay, and hurried away, throwing back looks of _good luck_ and _glad I'm not you._

Meredith stood a few feet from her resident and shifted back and forth nervously. She racked her brain for what she could have possibly done wrong, what she might have forgotten to do, as she waited for the Nazi to speak.

"Yes Dr. Bailey?" Meredith asked, desperately trying to keep her voice steady and calm.

After another moment of silence, Dr. Bailey finally spoke. "What's this I hear about you being given an award from the city of Seattle for heroic actions?"

Meredith took a step back, taken by surprise. This was the last thing she had expected her resident wanted to talk about. "Oh, um, ya… it's nothing really Dr. Bailey. Not really a big deal."

"Grey. Do I have stupid written on my forehead? This _is_ a big deal." Bailey's voice lightened immensely and her features softened. "This is great. Brag a little Grey! You are a _hero_."

Meredith shook her head and sat back down on the chair she had occupied while she had eaten her sandwich. "I'm no hero Dr. Bailey. This is a mistake." Meredith leaned forward and put her head in her hands.

Dr. Bailey debated in her head a moment, then took the empty chair next to Meredith. She raised her arm and hesitated before resting her hand carefully on Meredith's shoulder.

"Meredith, you _are_ a hero. You can sit and deny it all you want child, but what you did that night went far beyond what any normal person would do. You have what it takes. You have something special. In the five years that I've been a doctor, I have never seen interns like the group I have this year. You five give me a run for my money. The spunk… the balls… the courage ya'll have. It's incredible. You're all a whole new breed and when I turn you loose in a few months, I won't have one regret. I've learned just as much from _you_ fools, as you have from me. I will always be grateful for this chance I had to teach you. For the chance to get to know you. Meredith, you have grown so much in this last year. You are going to be an amazing doctor, just like your mother. I am _so_ proud of you."

Meredith turned and watched Dr. Bailey with wide eyes, to shocked to say anything back. The resident stood up and cleared her throat, quickly regaining her composure.

"Dr. Grey, I think you should go to the banquet this Saturday and embrace it. Allow yourself some pride and accept that award."

Dr. Bailey took a few steps towards the door and paused before leaving. She turned and spoke again. "Dr. Grey?"

Meredith looked up. "Yes Dr. Bailey?"

"If you utter one word of what I just said to _anyone_, I will make sure your last few months with me are a living hell? Do you understand me?"

Meredith smiled and nodded knowingly. "Yes Dr. Bailey."

The resident nodded satisfied and hurried out of the room, leaving Meredith to sit and digest all she had heard.

* * *

Derek sat quietly in the wheel chair as a young brown haired nurse wheeled him back to his room. His thoughts drifted from the intense physical therapy session he had just had, to Meredith and the look that crossed her face when ever he mentioned his P.T. He couldn't easily read the look, it was one mixed with fear and guilt, which always led to avoidance. They had both came to a silent agreement that they wouldn't discuss it. They were happy and in love, but for the last two months they had kept their topic of conversation off of anything heavy. They avoided Meredith's mom, the fact that Derek still could not walk, and most vehemently, the upcoming award banquet.

"Hey there." A form in light blue scrubs stepped in front of the moving chair, causing Derek to look up from his thoughts.

A genuine smile lit up Derek's serious face as he realized it was Meredith blocking their path.

"Hey there yourself."

"Are you taking him back to his room?" Meredith inquired to the nurse, continuing when the nurse nodded. "Do you mind if I take over?"

The nurse shrugged, letting Meredith position herself behind the wheelchair to steer. She thanked her, as the nurse turned and hurried in the opposite direction.

Meredith slowly started walking, pushing Derek ahead of her. "So how's your day going?"

"Good, good." Derek didn't add that he was exhausted from his workout. He had pushed himself far past what the doctor had recommended and had doubled the suggested time working his leg muscles. "And how about your day?"

"Also good. Things were slow on the surgical floor so I snuck up to come see you. If Bailey sees me I'm dead."

Derek chuckled. "Well, at the pace you're driving, it's going to be tomorrow before we get back to my room."

"What?! I'm just trying to be careful, I don't want to hurt you."

"Mer, how many times to I have to tell you? My leg doesn't hurt anymore. Now show me what you got and burn some rubber."

Meredith giggled as she moved slightly faster. "I am not going to burn some rubber Derek. We'll get in trouble."

Derek shook his head. "You're no fun. Burke came by yesterday with a borrowed wheel chair and we were poppin' wheelies. We also had a race down the hall… and for the record… I smoked him."

"I'm sure you did." Meredith laughed, picturing the two attendings speeding down the hall in wheel chairs.

They reached his room and Meredith held the door open as Derek wheeled himself in. Instead of going to his bed, he wheeled to the large window that looked out over the Seattle skyline.

Meredith came and stood beside him quietly. He reached up and took her hand and pulled her into his lap. She stiffened, afraid she would hurt him, but relaxed when he shot her a warning look.

She settled down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, as he circled her small waist with his own. They sat together content for a moment just enjoying each others presence.

"So I've been thinking…" Derek broke the silence, deciding he would just go ahead and tell her what had been on his mind.

"Hmmm?" Meredith half answered, nuzzling her face in the crook of Derek's neck.

"You should go to the award ceremony." Derek said it fast, glad to get it out.

Meredith's head shot up and she looked at him with large, dark eyes. "I thought we weren't talking about that anymore? We decided I wasn't going and that was the end."

"No. _You_ decided you weren't going. I never agreed."

"Well I'm _not_. And I'm not talking about it either." Meredith turned her head to look out the window, so Derek couldn't read her expression.

Derek sighed. "Mer, look at me." He placed his hand gently on her cheek and forced her to turn her face so she was looking in his eyes. "I want you to go. It would mean a lot to me."

Meredith opened her mouth to argue, but Derek moved the hand that rested on her cheek, over her mouth to silence her.

"I think the reason you don't want to go… the reason you won't even acknowledge what you did that night… has something to do with me. You are blaming yourself for the fact that I'm sitting here in a wheelchair. You're feeling sorry for me… and you need to _stop_. I don't feel sorry for me. I've accepted everything that's happened thus far, and I will accept whatever I'm dealt in the future. I've come to terms with it all, and now it's your turn."

Meredith tried to speak but was muffled by the hand Derek wouldn't move.

"No, I'm not moving my hand because this seems to be the only way I can get a word in these days." Derek laughed at Meredith's look of pretend offense.

"Now, you are going to get all dressed up, and go the banquet, and make small talk with stuffy politicians, and you're going to eat your fancy dinner and when they call your name, you are going to hold your head up and accept that award….Ouch!"

Derek moved his hand that Meredith had just bit, quickly away from her mouth.

"Can I say something now? Or should I bite your other hand first?"

"Fine." Derek mumbled, pouting down at the teeth marks on his middle finger.

Meredith giggled, rolling her eyes at him, before becoming more serious. "It's not that I feel sorry for you Derek. It's just…I'm afraid." Meredith let out a relieved sigh, feeling like she had held those two words in for way too long.

Derek looked up confused, so Meredith continued. "It's just that my whole life, all I've had are let downs and disappointments. My father, my mom. Friends in college. And whenever things start going good for me, and I think for a second that I just might be happy, something bad happens. Like, things were finally, for once in my life, going the way I wanted them to. You told me you loved me, you left your wife, we were happy, and bam, my mother's lucid and reminds me what a disappointment I've become…"

Derek opened his mouth to argue the last statement, and it was Meredith's turn to cover his mouth with her hand.

"It's my turn." Meredith raised her brows to dare Derek to argue, then continued. "Then the accident at the restaurant and everything with that. It's like someone is trying to tell me to accept the fact that good things are not suppose to happen to me. And if I do accept this award, that's a _good thing_, and something terrible will happen to bring me crashing back down to earth. And I don't think I could take anything else. I've been through too much already."

Derek sighed and brought his hand to the one of Meredith's that rested over his mouth. He gently took it and kissed her palm, before moving it down.

"Mer I know you're scared, but just because you accept the award, doesn't mean anything bad is going to happen. _I promise_. If you think about it, we've been through everything already. What else is there?"

Derek relaxed a little when he saw the smile return to Meredith's face.

"I guess you're right. I mean, seriously, what else could there be? I've already been through parental neglect, a secret wife…" Meredith laughed when she saw Derek cringe.

He quickly recovered and continued the list for her. "A bomb in a body cavity, putting Doc to sleep…"

"The man I secretly loved, calling me a whore." Meredith laughed again at Derek's look of shock.

"Assisting a fellow intern after she cut the LVAD wire." Derek threw back, smirking.

"Recovering from _major_ surgery after they removed my appendix, only to be dumped _yet again_ by the same man who called me whore…"

"Okay okay! You win, I'm an idiot. I don't deserve you, _whatever _do you see in me…" Derek's babble was cut short by a deep kiss from Meredith.

She pulled away after a moment and looked into his eyes. "Are you sure Derek?"

"I promise. Everything will be fine. Mount St. Helens is not going to erupt just because you go to some award ceremony. Besides, it will be fun for you to enjoy a night out, _and _your friends will be there."

"Ya, but _you_ won't." Meredith pouted.

"It's okay, you can tell me all about it afterwards. Besides, Saturday night is tofu meatloaf night. I wouldn't want to miss out on that." Derek wiggled his eyebrows causing Meredith to laugh out loud, a sound that filled Derek with pure joy.

"Fine. I'll go. But you get that I'm only doing this for you right?"

"That's fine. As long as you get that I only do the bendy thing in the shower for you. Right?"

"Derek Shepherd!" Meredith turned red and glanced at the door to make sure no one had heard. "You know _you_ enjoy that way more than _me_."

"Okay you're right." She was absolutely correct so Derek didn't bother arguing.

Meredith rested her head on his shoulder, and they stared out the window, Meredith thinking about the banquet she now had to attend….. and Derek thinking about new bendy things he could try out with Meredith.

* * *

**Day of Award Ceremony**

Meredith straddled Derek on his bed; she ran both hands through his hair then leaned down and whispered something provocative in his ear. Her mouth lingered there for a minute as she began to nibble his skin, moving her lips down his neck.

Derek started shifting uncomfortably under her, knowing exactly what his girlfriend was trying to do. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block her out. He pretended that her moist lips didn't send shivers up and down his body and that her flowery scent didn't make his insides twist in desire.

"This isn't going to work Mer…." Derek let his voice trail off as Meredith moved her hands across his shoulders and down his chest. Inching them lower and lower until they disappeared under the white cotton hospital blanket. Derek moaned as Meredith found her target, causing the last bit of his will power to dissolve. He reached up with both hands and pulled her face to his, kissing her long and passionately. He opened her mouth with his, and their tongues danced to the same rhythm as her hands under the blanket. Derek moved his hands to her scrub top and was about to lift it off, when the door flew open and Izzie and George hurried in.

"Meredith Grey! What do you think you're doing?! You are supposed to be at home showering so when I get there I can do your hair!"

Meredith grudgingly pulled her hands out from underneath the blanket and moved her body off of Derek's, sighing in defeat.

"I tried to stop her." Derek offered, moving the blankets to cover any evidence of how badly he had wanted her.

"Oh I bet." Izzie put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Now let's go Mer. No more delaying. Cristina will be there soon. She's stopping by the cleaners to pick up your dress on her way."

Meredith nodded, not bothering to show how unenthused she was about the whole night. She bent down and kissed Derek quick and whispered. "Too bad you're making me go to this thing. Now I can't finish what I started."

She gave him a seductive wink as she crossed the room to the door.

"You're nothing but a big tease Dr. Grey!" Derek laughed, then continued. "Have fun Mer. I'm real proud of you."

Meredith gave him her best smile, before letting Izzie push her out of the room.

After the door closed behind them, and they were sure the girls were out of hearing distance, Derek turned to George, whose face was finally turning a normal color after reddening at the site of Meredith frisking Derek.

"Do you have it?"

"Um, yes… Dr. Shepherd….it's hidden, uh…. in the locker room. Callie's going to bring it up in a minute." George stammered, still feeling a little awkward around his boss.

"Thanks O'Malley. I really appreciate it. Do you know if…" Derek was interrupted as the door flew open once more, and this time Burke, Addison, and Mark came trotting in.

"So?" Derek asked expectantly.

"Relax Derek. Everything's taken care of." Burke smiled and put a reassuring hand on Derek's shoulder. "Show him Addison."

Addison reached in her large Gucci bag and pulled out a smaller red gift bag with gold cursive on the side. She reached over and handed the bag to Derek. He carefully examined the contents of the bag and smiled up at her with shining eyes.

"Thanks Addie."

Addison nodded, swallowing her own emotion. She imagined this should have been more awkward, but all she could feel was happy for the man who used to be her one and only.

"Don't thank me. I used Mark's credit card."

Derek turned his attention to the man who used to be like a brother, the man who he once loathed with more hate than he thought was possible, and he couldn't help but feel glad he was there.

"Thanks Mark."

Mark nodded, trying to hide his own feelings of what it meant that Derek was sharing this with him.

"Okay! Well we don't have much time. We should really get started." Burke finally broke the moment, knowing they should get going if they were going to pull this all off.


	10. Chapter 10

Meredith sat hunched in her seat, stirring the clear straw around in her glass of water. She eyed the distance from the large round table she sat at, to the nearest exit, and wondered: _If I stood and ran, could I beat Izzie to the door before she caught me and dragged me back_?

She let out a quiet sigh as she resolved to stay seated, guessing it wouldn't be the best idea to cause a scene. The tight black dress that her friends had convinced her to wear wasn't the best attire for sprinting anyhow.

She sat at one of the fancy decorated tables to the front. All her friends had come to support her. Cristina was on her left followed by Burke, then George and Callie. Izzie sat to her right along with Alex. Even Dr. Bailey was there along with the Chief and Addison and Mark. Meredith shifted uncomfortably. She felt bad that everyone had wasted a rare night off on her.

The large room was filling quickly as hundreds of people found their seats. Meredith kept her gaze straight ahead on the large flower arrangement that sat in the middle of the table. She noticed that no expense had been spared, from the thick ivory table cloth to the neatly arranged sterling silver utensils.

Meredith repeated over and over in her head that she could do this. She was fine. She would accept her award gracefully then the evening would be over and she'd return to the hospital to crawl into bed with Derek. Then this whole hero thing would fade away and she and Derek could go on with their lives. She'd focus on helping him with his physical therapy and finishing her last few months of her internship. Everything would be fine. She could do this.

The lights flickered overhead, signaling it was time to begin, and the several conversations around the room died down as everyone found their seats. Meredith took a deep breath and plastered a convincing smile on her face before turning to the front in time to see the mayor take the podium.

Dinner was served as the various speakers took turns talking about the diverse community of Seattle and how each person in the city contributed to making it what it was today. They spoke on the many aspects that made up their society. Educators, policemen, medical personnel, even bankers were mentioned. By the time dinner was finished and desert was being served, the first award was finally announced.

A young boy scout had performed CPR on his grandma when she experienced a heart attack unexpectedly one evening. The twelve year old had saved a life and was being awarded an honorable mention. The crowd clapped politely as the young man accepted his award in his starched boy scout uniform that was a tad too big for him.

The next few awards went on and Meredith was surprised to recognize a few of the men from the night of the accident. They were the ones who had come back in to the dangerous building to help her take out Derek. She hadn't realized they were receiving awards that night as well, and tears sprung to her eyes as the gratitude for the mens' bravery swelled inside her.

Meredith watched as the men took their seats, and noticed a familiar small blond girl sitting at their table. She was the young girl from that night Meredith had moved to safety. Meredith's heart skipped a little, seeing her sit there, alive and unharmed, smiling broadly at one the men. Meredith immediately noticed their similarities and assumed him to be the little girl's father. The girl turned and caught Meredith's stare and waved excitedly. Meredith smiled warmly and waved back, before turning her attention again to the front.

The presenter was still talking about the night of the accident, describing the horrible turn of events. He then told the audience that the final award would be presented after a brief special film put together by Channel 7 news.

The lights dimmed and Meredith glanced at Cristina who only shrugged. A large white screen lowered from the ceiling near the stage and seconds later the film started. Meredith held her breath as pictures of the destroyed restaurant and tipped semi flashed on the screen. Mariah Carey's song, _Hero, _played softly in the back ground as clips from several of the city's news stations took turns describing the ongoing tragedy. Still pictures and live clips intertwined playing out the story of that dreadful evening.

A picture of the collected crowd of observers showed the fear and anxiety as one by one, the survivors were helped to safety. Meredith hadn't realized how many people had witnessed the accident and it gave her goose bumps as the camera skimmed along the long line of fire trucks and ambulances, waiting helplessly in the distance.

Meredith's heart froze in her chest as a distant shot was shown of four men carrying out a lifeless body. The group hurried to a waiting stretcher and Meredith knew that she was the small figure in the lead taking control and working frantically over the body. Meredith desperately squeezed her eyes shut and fought to control the fear and pain that was creeping back inside her soul. She felt a soft hand grip hers comfortingly under the table and opened her eyes to see Izzie share a reassuring smile.

Meredith took another breath and returned her attention to the large screen. Her face grew warm with embarrassment when a large image of herself flashed on the screen, and she recognized it from one of the times a news reporter had tried interviewing her. All she had said was she had only did what any other person in her shoes would have. The reporter dubbed it as extreme modesty, but Meredith believed her statement to be the truth.

The pictures stopped and the music ended and the mayor's face took its place on the screen. He said a few words about what an extraordinary thing Meredith had done that night and talked about a few of the characteristics that made up a hero. As soon as his image faded, the Chief's face took its place causing Meredith to rear back a little in her chair.

"I've known Meredith Grey all her life and she has always been a caring, selfless individual. Her courage and strength reflects in the kind of doctor she is…." Dr. Webber went on speaking kind words for the young woman who was the closest thing he ever had to a daughter.

Meredith's eyes shown as she gave an appreciative smile across the table to the older man who had always been there for her. He nodded back and she could tell he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

When his sound bite ended, he was replaced by an elderly woman Meredith immediately recognized. She had been one of Meredith's professors in med school and she and Meredith had grown close. There had been many times throughout school when she had nearly given up, and this woman had been the only one to encourage her to go on. She had told Meredith on more than one occasion that she had what it took and would go on to become an excellent surgeon. Not because of who her mother was, but because of what Meredith possessed inside.

Meredith struggled to blink back tears as her professor spoke kind words of what kind of student Meredith had been, and how she always knew she would go on to change the world. She gripped Izzie's hand for dear life, desperately trying to remain composed as she felt all the eyes of the occupants of her table on her.

She kept her gaze focused on the screen as even more sound bites were played. The men from the night of the accident, the firemen, the two young paramedics. Even the small blond girl, who was obviously extremely camera shy, whispered a sincere thank you. Meredith's heart beat rapidly and she thought her chest might explode as the screen went dark momentarily to be replaced with an image Meredith hadn't been expecting.

Meredith recognized the handsome dark haired man sitting in a hospital bed immediately. The first tear escaped slowly down her cheek as Derek smiled his dreamy smile towards the camera.

"Hi Mer." The image spoke. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you tonight, but I couldn't pass up this opportunity to let you know how proud I am of you. You are so brave and courageous. Not only did you save my life that night, but you saved the lives of many others. And in case I haven't said it before… Thank you."

Derek's picture faded, and Meredith wiped at a few more tears that had made their way down her face. The lights came on and the mayor made his way back to the podium. Meredith knew this was it and closed her eyes, willing herself to be strong enough to walk to the front. She made an attempt to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat before looking back to the front.

"The last award of the night is the esteemed Medal Of Honor. In the fifteen years that the city of Seattle has given out this award, it has always been presented by the mayor of the city. But tonight…." He paused as whispers spread through the room.

"…Tonight I think there is only _one man_ who should present this award."

Speculative chatter swelled through the banquet hall and Meredith searched the faces of her close friends. They avoided her gaze and kept their eyes focused on the front when suddenly she heard a collected gasp from both Addison and Izzie.

Meredith turned her head slowly to the direction of their stare, and searched for what was causing all the commotion. Meredith's heart stopped and her tears broke free as she openly wept. A man walked carefully and slowly, a cane in his hand keeping him steady, on to the center of the stage. She couldn't believe it. Derek had come. And most shocking of all, Derek was _walking_.

Meredith's body trembled with emotion as his eyes found hers and they locked gazes. Derek paused at the podium and shook hands with mayor before the mayor handed over the award for Derek to present. Derek turned towards the crowd and waited a minute for the applause and whistles to die down, before speaking.

"It is with extreme honor and privilege that I was asked to come here tonight to present this award." Derek's eyes were shining and it took all his strength to maintain his composure as he turned back to Meredith to look in her eyes as he spoke again.

"Meredith, you are without a doubt, one of the most extraordinary people I have ever come across in my entire life. Your love and passion for helping others is astounding. Your zeal and enthusiasm for the human life surpasses others and leaves me speechless. I watch you each day as you throw your heart and soul into what you do at the hospital, and it never ceases to amaze me. I consider myself a lucky man to have got the chance to know and love you. Meredith Grey, in my eyes… and the eyes of every single person sitting in this room…you are _far from ordinary. _Please come accept this award."

Meredith wasn't sure how she got there, but by some unknown power, she had made it to the front of the room and was walking across the stage slowly to meet Derek. Her hands shook and the tears fell in a steady stream down her cheeks. Derek opened his arms to her and she fell in gratefully. He held her and stroked her hair as the room watched on, not a dry eye in the building.

Meredith pulled back a little to look into Derek's face. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "You look beautiful." Before Meredith could respond, he pulled out her award and carefully placed it over her head and positioned it around her neck.

Meredith smiled and wiped her eyes, when someone in the audience caught her attention. She turned, and noticed for the first time, Thatcher and Susan sitting at a table to the right side of the stage. They both had tears running down their faces and proud smiles etched across their expressions.

Meredith turned to Derek confused, and he leaned close to her ear again. "I invited them Mer. Don't be mad. I needed to ask your father's permission for what I'm about to say."

Meredith furrowed her brows, still confused and turned back to the audience. She saw the faces of her friends beaming and watching on expectantly. Even Cristina wore a sincere smile, and Meredith was quickly growing even more puzzled. She glanced back to the table that Thatcher sat at with his wife, and an older, dark haired woman at the table behind her fathers, caused her to step back. Derek's mother sat holding her handkerchief to her eyes, surrounded by four other dark haired woman, one being Nancy, who Meredith recognized from months before. They all smiled back, eyes shining, nodding encouragingly.

Meredith turned back to Derek. "Derek, what's going…." Her voice trailed off when she saw that he was no longer standing next to her, but had carefully lowered himself to one knee.

She looked down, her lip quivering in surprise. The applause from the room grew louder and people were cheering. Meredith had to strain to hear what Derek was saying.

"Meredith, I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love another human being. I feel like I was sleeping my whole life until the night I met you, and now for the first time in my life, I'm awake. I feel so alive and full of passion and love when you're around. You are so bossy, and you keep me inline with your ineffectual fists."

Derek paused and tears escaped from both of his blue eyes as he struggled to keep his voice even. His chin quivered as he continued. "You would make me the happiest man in the world if you'd be my wife. Meredith Grey… will you marry me?"

Meredith's heart was beating so hard she almost couldn't hear anything but the pounding in her head. She felt weak and shaky, and was sure she would wake from this amazing dream at any moment. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Derek reached in the jacket of his tux and pulled out a small, maroon box. He opened it slowly, revealing a huge princess cut diamond sitting on a thin platinum engagement band.

Meredith nodded her head vigorously and reached out to help Derek up, pulling him to her. He wrapped his arms around her and they cried tears of complete joy together, before he pulled back.

"Say it Mer. I want to hear you say it." He whispered, unashamed of the emotion that shook his voice.

"Yes Derek… I'll marry you!" Her whisper was also shaky, but sure.

Derek thought his smile would split his face in two. He couldn't remember ever being this happy. Meredith Grey was the girl of his dreams and she had just agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. He knew he had made many mistakes in the past, but he had been given a fresh start. A second chance at life. He didn't deserve this woman who clung tightly to him and he had wrapped in his arms, but he knew he would spend every last breath, till the day he died, proving his love for her. She had been hurt more in the past than any one single person ever deserved, and he vowed from that day on, no one would ever hurt her again.

He slowly pulled away again and reached for her left hand. He removed the ring from the velvet box and stared in her teary eyes, as he gently slipped it on her slender finger.

A quiet sob escaped Meredith's mouth as she looked down at Derek's symbol of love. The diamond caught the overhead lights of the stage and sparkled on her finger. She reached up and took Derek's face in her hands and mouthed I love you, before pulling him in for a deep kiss.

This caused the excited crowd to roar in approval as the audience jumped to their feet in a standing ovation. The cheers and applause and the hundreds set of eyes that were focused on Meredith and Derek, slowly disappeared as the newly engaged couple shared a kiss of promise. A kiss that spoke of their commitment to one another, and showed that together, with the other by their side, they would make it through this life.

As Derek's strong lips covered her own, Meredith couldn't help but think her mother had been wrong. There was nothing ordinary about this love she shared with Derek. This was a timeless love that Meredith knew not everyone was fortunate to find. Standing on that stage, kissing the man she loved in front of their friends and family, Meredith knew with out a shadow of doubt, that she was indeed far from ordinary.

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**A/N: So you guys are just too smart. Most of you guessed what Derek was planning. I hope it was _a little_ surprising at least. This story had been so much fun! Thanks to all of you who read and reviewed. This is the final chapter, but I will be putting up a short little epilogue sometime tomorrow. But basically it's finished. Complete, The End.**

**Don't forget to check out Keep Holding on, the sequel to Out of the Darkness. I love you guys!**


	11. Epilogue

**A/N: Well look at that. I promised this would be up today, and here it is, _today_. This is just complete fluff that I couldn't resist after watching last Friday's episode of Begin the Begin. Enjoy!**

* * *

Meredith rolled over to her back as a bright ray of sun light spread across the bed. She laid still and waited for something. For the usual incessant pounding in her head from one too many shots of tequila the night before; for the sickening feeling in her stomach at how screwed up her life had become.

But it didn't come. Instead, a foreign feeling of peaceful contentment washed over her. She was happy, even a little giddy. The events of the day before played in her mind causing a smile to spread on her face.

Derek had spared no expense. He told her he wanted to make the day one she would never forget. The huge antique church he had found, had been filled with old and new friends, family, co- workers, even the mayor had come. She recalled the butterflies that took residence in her stomach as Richard Webber proudly escorted her down the aisle. Her palms were sweaty and her heart went crazy in her chest. So many eyes were on her.

And then there was only one pair that she saw. Shining blue eyes that she kept her focus on, as they drew her closer. Richard stopped in front of Derek and the two men exchanged firm handshakes before she was handed over. She saw Derek's face fight his emotion as she smiled up into the sapphire eyes that struggled to keep tears at bay.

Derek squeezed her hand, and they didn't break their stare as the preacher began speaking. Meredith's butterflies were gone and the nervousness was quickly replaced with her pure love for this amazing man. They had been through so much to get there and she had thought the day would never come. The day where they proclaimed to the world that they were each other's one and only.

The preacher spoke beautiful words that Meredith could only barely remember. All she could recall was the way Derek had been looking at her. She could barely breathe. His love and passion spilling out from his soul and enveloping her in his safety and protection. Rings were exchanged and promises of forever and death till they part repeated.

Before she knew it Derek had swept her up in his arms and was kissing her hard in front of the congregation. He spun her around, their eyes shining, their long life together only just beginning.

They barely made it through the beautiful reception Izzie and Addison had planned together. Everyone had wanted to talk to them and share congratulations. Derek and Meredith had only wanted to start their honeymoon.

Their flight for the Bahamas, where they would spend two full weeks of luxury alone, didn't leave till the next evening, and so Derek and Meredith had snuck off to his trailer for some seclusion. They had barely made it out of the car before the clothes started coming off in desperate acts of passion. The night had been an endless series of satisfying love making.

Meredith shivered under the thin blanket and reached for Derek, wanting his naked body to keep hers warm. Her left arm reached across the sheets to find them disappointingly empty. She slowly opened her tired eyes and found Derek was no longer in bed with her. She frowned until something shiny on her finger caught her attention, and she pulled her left hand close to examine her new ring. The smile quickly returned to her face as she thought about all the promise the simple jewelry held.

The slamming of the medal door of the trailer brought Meredith's attention off of her wedding ring. She sat up slightly, keeping the sheet wrapped protectively over her chilled skin, and looked down the small hall to the tiny kitchen. Derek stood in jeans and a button up flannel shirt, his rumpled hair sticking up in all directions. He kept a hand behind his back and Meredith couldn't help but laugh at the image.

"Good morning Mrs. Shepherd." Derek grinned at his beautiful new wife, still in awe that she was actually his.

"Good morning Mr. Shepherd. Where were you?" Meredith smiled but tilted her head curiously.

Derek shifted nervously and Meredith saw a little uncertainty flash through his usual arrogant demeanor. His eyes searched her face as if he was all the sudden doubting something and quickly becoming unsure.

"I brought breakfast." Derek pulled his arm from out behind his back and revealed a foot long trout, scales glistening in the sun light, eyes frozen in an eternal stare. Derek's eyes were scared and he tilted his head tentatively, anxiously awaiting Meredith's reaction.

"Trout for breakfast?" Meredith asked, her expression unreadable.

"Trout for breakfast." Derek confirmed, inwardly scolding himself for being so dumb. This was their honeymoon. The first day of the rest of their life. What was he thinking?

"Sounds delicious." Meredith smiled and laid back down, closing her eyes to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep while her new husband cooked breakfast for them.

Meredith heard a soft plunk and suddenly Derek was over her. She sprang her eyes opened in surprise but didn't resist as Derek covered her mouth with his. She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss as her fingers furiously worked at the buttons on his shirt. He shrugged out of the flannel material and his jeans and boxers quickly followed suit.

Derek yanked the thin sheet that separated their naked bodies out of the way, and pulled back to look at Meredith with tears in his eyes.

"What?" Meredith asked confused at his sudden emotion.

"You like trout." It was a statement that held so much more than Meredith could even begin to understand.

"Who doesn't?" Meredith shrugged, not following.

"You like trout in the trailer." Derek knew he wasn't making much since to Meredith, even sounding a little crazy. But he couldn't help it. Meredith was amazing. And the fact that she had agreed to marry _him_, to spend the rest of her life with _him_, left him a little crazy.

"Derek! What are you talking about?" Meredith giggled, not used to seeing Derek act so peculiar.

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're my wife." Derek smiled kissing her gently on her soft lips.

"And I'm glad you're my husband." Meredith replied, pulling him back down to her mouth, wanting to finish what they had started moments before.

Their bodies merged as one in an act of love and passion. Each touch, each kiss, each caress spoke of their commitment and promise of forever. Derek had found his soul mate. Meredith had found her other half. For these two lovers, happily ever after did exist.

"Meredith?"

"Yes, husband?"

"I love you."

"Derek?"

"Yes, wife?"

"You smell like trout."


End file.
